Psychological flexibility and health status as predictors of perceived hearing aid benefit in adults with hearing loss.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationship between psychological acceptance of hearing loss and perceived hearing aid benefit in older adults and examined whether psychological flexibility remains a significant predictor of benefit after accounting for demographic, audiological, and clinical factors.

METHOD: In this study, 159 hearing aid users (mean age = 62.66 ± 15.66 years) completed the Turkish version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Adult Hearing Loss (AAQ-AHL) and the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB). Group comparisons, analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), partial correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression were conducted to evaluate the independent contributions of psychological, audiological, and clinical variables to perceived hearing aid benefit.

RESULTS

Bilateral hearing aid users and participants with chronic comorbid conditions reported significantly greater perceived benefit in preliminary analyses. After controlling for age and hearing loss severity, both associations remained significant in ANCOVA models. However, multiple regression analyses revealed that psychological acceptance was not independently associated with perceived hearing aid benefit (β = .114, p = .172). Among the variables examined, comorbidity status emerged as the only significant predictor of perceived benefit in the fully adjusted model (β = .204, p = .011).

CONCLUSIONS

Psychological acceptance of hearing loss was not independently associated with perceived hearing aid benefit after accounting for demographic, audiological, and clinical characteristics. In contrast, the presence of chronic comorbid conditions was associated with greater perceived benefit from amplification. These findings suggest that hearing aid outcomes may be influenced by broader clinical characteristics in addition to traditional audiological factors and support a more holistic approach to auditory rehabilitation.