Barriers and facilitators to asking adults with hearing loss about their emotional and psychological well-being: a COM-B analysis

Abstract

Objective

To explore the barriers and facilitators faced by hearing healthcare clinicians (HHCs) with respect to asking adults with hearing loss (HL) about their emotional well-being.

Design

This qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups. The interview topic guide was developed based on the COM-B model.

Study sample

Fifteen HHCs of a single hearing services organisation in Western Australia across 13 clinic locations participated.

Results

Barriers and facilitators that may influence HHCs’ behaviour of routinely asking adults about their emotional well-being include having the knowledge and skills to ask about emotional well-being, forgetting to ask, awareness of the emotional impacts of HL, time and tools for asking, clients’ reactions to being asked, supportive peers, normalisation of discussions relating to emotional well-being, presence of significant others, emotions associated with asking, being in the habit of asking, reminders, beliefs about consequences and confidence or capabilities, and scope of audiology practice.

Conclusions

Application of the COM-B model identified barriers in capabilities (e.g. knowledge), opportunities (e.g. tools), and motivation (e.g. beliefs about benefits of asking about emotions) that need to be addressed for HHCs to ask their clients about their emotional well-being.

Keywords:

• COM-B model
• mental health
• emotional well-being
• behaviour change

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the clinicians who participated in this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

Raine Priming Grant from the Raine Medical Research Foundation, The University of Western Australia.