Amplification Use in Young Australian Adults with Profound Hearing Impairment

Abstract

Efficacious rehabilitation demands the utilization of outcome measures, and establishing levels of client satisfaction can contribute greatly to such processes, providing a personal, functional perspective that is not so easily gained through standard, clinical outcome testing. The literature currently offers much insight into the factors affecting amplification use and service satisfaction in the elderly population. However, it is not known which elements may influence a young adult's decision to pursue or reject amplification, at a time in their life that is likely to be characterized by transitional flux. The present study, therefore, aimed to investigate satisfaction with amplification and hearing services experienced by young Australian adults (with profound hearing impairment) through self-administration of the Factors Affecting Hearing Aid Use in Adults (FAHA) questionnaire. Opinions were gathered from 25 subjects (15 male and 10 female), with a mean age of 22.73 years (SD = 2.03, median = 22.25). Overall, it was revealed that a considerable proportion of respondents (83%) were satisfied with their amplification devices, yet only 48% agreed that their hearing center provided an excellent level of service. Additionally, several significant differences in opinion regarding certain domains of satisfaction were found between hearing aid users and nonusers. Findings from this investigation suggest there are several areas that health care professionals could target for improvement in service provision and related policy development. Specifically, these include: (1) sound quality of aids, (2) tinnitus retraining therapy and education, (3) aid cosmetics, (4) public perception of dispensers' motivation, and (5) listening stress-management techniques.