Associations of Word Recognition in Noise with Perceived Hearing Handicap and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Sensorineural Hearing Loss.
- 1Department of Audiology, Institute of Graduate Studies, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul 34320, Türkiye.
- 2Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Haliç University, Istanbul 34060, Türkiye.
- 3Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul 34854, Türkiye.
Abstract
Background/objectives
Pure-tone audiometry and word recognition scores (WRS) obtained in quiet may not fully reflect everyday hearing difficulties. This study examined how WRS across different listening conditions relate to perceived hearing handicap and quality of life in older adults with sensorineural hearing loss, and whether they explain perceived handicap beyond demographic and audiological variables.Methods
Seventy-nine older adults with sensorineural hearing loss were included. WRS were assessed in quiet and at +10 dB and 0 dB signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) using ipsilateral speech noise. Perceived hearing handicap and quality of life were evaluated using the Turkish Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) and World Health Organization Quality of Life-Older Adults Module (WHOQOL-OLD), respectively. Listening conditions were compared using Friedman and Bonferroni-corrected Wilcoxon tests. Associations were examined with Spearman correlations, and hierarchical regression assessed the independent contribution of WRS after adjustment for age, pure-tone average, hearing loss duration, and tinnitus.Results
WRS decreased from 88% in quiet to 72% at +10 dB SNR and 32% at 0 dB SNR (p < 0.001). Lower WRS was associated with greater hearing handicap, most strongly at 0 dB SNR (r = -0.491, p < 0.001), while no significant association was observed with overall quality of life. Both speech-in-noise conditions explained a similar amount of additional variance in HHIE total scores beyond demographic and audiological variables (+10 dB SNR, ΔR² = 0.037, p = 0.054; 0 dB SNR, ΔR² = 0.042, p = 0.039).Conclusions
Word recognition in noise reflected perceived hearing handicap better than performance in quiet. Speech recognition in noise may complement hearing-specific self-report measures in evaluating everyday hearing difficulties.
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BibTeX
@article{sonmez2026associations,
title = {{Associations of Word Recognition in Noise with Perceived Hearing Handicap and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Sensorineural Hearing Loss.}},
author = {Ebru Sönmez and Çağlar Batman},
journal = {Audiology research},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/audiolres16050143},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930341},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Associations of Word Recognition in Noise with Perceived Hearing Handicap and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Sensorineural Hearing Loss.
AU - Ebru Sönmez
AU - Çağlar Batman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/25
JO - Audiology research
DO - 10.3390/audiolres16050143
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930341
AB - Background/objectives Pure-tone audiometry and word recognition scores (WRS) obtained in quiet may not fully reflect everyday hearing difficulties. This study examined how WRS across different listening conditions relate to perceived hearing handicap and quality of life in older adults with sensorineural hearing loss, and whether they explain perceived handicap beyond demographic and audiological variables.Methods Seventy-nine older adults with sensorineural hearing loss were included. WRS were assessed in quiet and at +10 dB and 0 dB signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) using ipsilateral speech noise. Perceived hearing handicap and quality of life were evaluated using the Turkish Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) and World Health Organization Quality of Life-Older Adults Module (WHOQOL-OLD), respectively. Listening conditions were compared using Friedman and Bonferroni-corrected Wilcoxon tests. Associations were examined with Spearman correlations, and hierarchical regression assessed the independent contribution of WRS after adjustment for age, pure-tone average, hearing loss duration, and tinnitus.Results WRS decreased from 88% in quiet to 72% at +10 dB SNR and 32% at 0 dB SNR (p < 0.001). Lower WRS was associated with greater hearing handicap, most strongly at 0 dB SNR (r = -0.491, p < 0.001), while no significant association was observed with overall quality of life. Both speech-in-noise conditions explained a similar amount of additional variance in HHIE total scores beyond demographic and audiological variables (+10 dB SNR, ΔR² = 0.037, p = 0.054; 0 dB SNR, ΔR² = 0.042, p = 0.039).Conclusions Word recognition in noise reflected perceived hearing handicap better than performance in quiet. Speech recognition in noise may complement hearing-specific self-report measures in evaluating everyday hearing difficulties.
SN - 2039-4330
SN - 2039-4349
ER -