Selim Sermed Erbek
I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Ankara University in 1992. I completed specialty training in 1996, which I started in 1992, and became an Otorhinolaryngologist. I was awarded the Certificate of Otorhinolaryngology Board Exam in 2008, the title of Associate Professor in 2009, the Certificate of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 2012, and the title of Professor in 2016. I have been serving in my own private office since October 2021.
Sessions
State of the art DCR in 2026
Technology anxiety and social appearance anxiety as predictors of hearing aid outcomes
Berna Deniz Kuntman
University of Health Sciences, Gulhane Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Audiology, Ankara, Türkiye
Introduction (background & aim): hearing aid outcomes are influenced by audiological, technological, and psychosocial factors. Technology anxiety may reduce users’ confidence in managing hearing aids, whereas social appearance anxiety may discourage hearing aid use because of concerns about social evaluation and stigma. However, their contribution to patient-reported hearing aid outcomes remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether technology anxiety and social appearance anxiety are associated with hearing aid outcomes in adult hearing aid users.
Material & methods: this quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational study was approved by the lokman hekim university scientific research ethics committee (project no. 2026060; decision no. 2026/078; february 25, 2026) and conducted in accordance with the declaration of helsinki. Adult hearing aid users attending the department of otolaryngology were recruited using consecutive sampling. Inclusion criteria were age ≥18 years, hearing aid use for ≥6 months and ≥1 hour/day, mild-to-severe hearing loss, voluntary participation, and absence of cognitive impairment. Participants underwent otolaryngological examination and audiological assessment and completed a demographic information form, abbreviated technology anxiety scale (ATAS), social appearance anxiety scale (SAAS), and international outcome inventory for hearing aids (IOI-HA). The primary outcome was the IOI-HA total score. ATAS and SAAS were examined as independent variables. Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: a total of 82 hearing aid users were included. Mean scores were 26.48±9.94 for ATAS, 32.38±13.60 for SAAS, and 27.30±5.78 for IOI-HA. SAAS was moderately and negatively correlated with IOI-HA scores (ρ=−0.550; p<0.001), whereas ATAS was not significantly correlated with IOI-HA scores (ρ=−0.145; p=0.211). In univariate regression analysis, SAAS significantly predicted IOI-HA scores (β=−0.572; p<0.001; r²=0.327). In the multiple regression model including SAAS and ATAS, the model explained 34.4% of the variance in IOI-HA scores (r²=0.344). SAAS remained a significant negative predictor (β=−0.572; p<0.001), whereas ATAS was not a significant predictor (β=−0.076; p=0.169). Older age was positively correlated with technology anxiety (ρ=0.333; p=0.003).
Conclusions: social appearance anxiety, but not technology anxiety, was independently associated with poorer patient-reported hearing aid outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of addressing social appearance concerns in hearing aid rehabilitation and counseling.
To discuss the clinical relevance of rehabilitative support in patients with mild hearing loss, emphasizing its impact on cognitive load, listening effort, and quality of life.
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Description
this presentation focuses on the role of hearing aids within a multisensory clinical framework, emphasizing how auditory input interacts with vestibular and oculomotor systems to support spatial orientation and balance. Using a bayesian perspective, the talk highlights how improved auditory signal reliability through amplification can influence central sensory integration, visual stabilization, and postural control. The aim is to provide clinicians with a broader understanding of hearing aid benefits beyond speech perception.
outcome objectives
at the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
explain how hearing aid–mediated auditory input contributes to multisensory integration involved in balance and spatial orientation.
describe the concept of sensory reweighting and its relevance to hearing aid fitting in patients with imbalance or dizziness.
incorporate multisensory considerations into hearing aid evaluation and counseling to optimize functional outcomes.
background
hearing aid outcomes are traditionally evaluated based on speech understanding and communication performance. However, auditory signals also play a critical role in multisensory networks that integrate vestibular and oculomotor information. In individuals with hearing loss, reduced auditory reliability may lead to maladaptive sensory reweighting, increasing reliance on visual or vestibular cues and contributing to instability and higher cognitive load. Restoring auditory input through hearing aids may support more efficient multisensory integration and improve functional stability, particularly in older adults and patients with coexisting audiovestibular complaints. This perspective supports a more comprehensive approach to hearing aid assessment and clinical decision-making.