09-09, 17:50–18:00 (Europe/Istanbul), Hearing Aids (ICC - B3 Floor - 3B/02)
Hearing loss and hearing aid use are widely recognized as stigmatized conditions, with negative stereotypes surrounding both the impairment and the visible device. This social stigma is thought to influence hearing aid benefit and overall health-related quality of life (QOL), yet these relationships remain incompletely understood in adult populations spanning both middle and older age.
this ongoing cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study examines perceived stigma, hearing aid outcomes (measured via the IOI-HA), and health-related quality of life (EUROHIS-QOL) among adults aged 18–80 using hearing aids for at least six months. Participants are recruited from otolaryngology and audiology clinics and complete a face-to-face battery including a sociodemographic/clinical form, a 9-item stigma scale, the IOI-HA, and the EUROHIS-QOL. Preliminary analysis of the first 44 participants (target sample: 120–150) found no statistically significant correlations between stigma and hearing aid outcomes (r=0.07, p=0.665), stigma and quality of life (r=-0.18, p=0.237), or hearing aid outcomes and quality of life (r=0.14, p=0.376), though data collection is ongoing.
the objective of this presentation is to characterize the strength and direction of associations between perceived stigma, hearing aid outcomes, and quality of life in adult hearing aid users, and to discuss whether current null findings are better explained by sample size and cross-sectional design limitations or reflect a genuine absence of relationship — informing future clinical counseling practices around stigma management in hearing rehabilitation.
This proposal shares preliminary findings from an ongoing study examining how perceived stigma relates to hearing aid outcomes and quality of life in adult hearing aid users. By presenting interim data, we invite discussion from the audiology and otolaryngology community on interpreting null findings, methodological considerations for stigma research in this population, and priorities for the study's final analysis as recruitment continues toward the target sample of 120–150 participants.
Dr. Asuman Küçüköner is a Lecturer in the Department of Audiology at Ondokuz Mayıs University, Türkiye. She holds a PhD in Neuroscience and conducts research in auditory neuroscience and clinical audiology. Her work focuses on auditory electrophysiology, otoacoustic emissions, auditory evoked potentials, and auditory processing mechanisms in special populations, including individuals with cochlear implants and auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.
Dr. Deniz Uğur Cengiz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Audiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, İnönü University. His academic and clinical work focuses on vestibular assessment, vestibular disorders, and vestibular rehabilitation. He has contributed to numerous scientific studies at national and international levels in the field of the vestibular system.
