PURPOSE: to evaluate the attitudes towards hearing loss and hearing aids in a group of hearing aid candidates and users. To verify if attitudes are related to demographical and audiometric data as well as hearing aid characteristics. METHODS: 63 participants (35 men and 28 women, mean age 64.3 years) with bilateral sensorineural hearing losses of different degrees, hearing aid candidates or users answered the "Attitudes Towards Hearing Loss Questionnaire" (ALHQ v3.0). The ALHQ scores distribution was analyzed. The correlation between ALHQ scores and demographical and audiological data as well as the hearing aid fitting characteristics were obtained. The ALHQ scores were also compared between groups of hearing aid candidates and users as well as among men and women. RESULTS: ALHQ subscale responses did not follow normal distribution. No correlation was found among demographical data, mean hearing thresholds and ALHQ scores. There were weak but significant correlations between the subscales: "negative coping strategies" and "hearing-related esteem" (rho =-0.39), "denial" and "hearing related esteem" (rho =-0.27), "negative coping strategies" and "negative associations" (rho = 0.25) and "denial" and "negative coping strategies" (rho =-0.30). A statistical difference was found for "negative coping strategies" and "negative associations" subscales between hearing aid candidates and users. No statistical difference was found for ALHQ scores among men and women. CONCLUSION: the existence of negative attitudes towards hearing loss and hearing aids reinforces the need for personal adjustment counseling. It is necessary to validate the ALHQ questionnaire translated into Brazilian Portuguese.
Hearing Loss; Hearing Aids; Rehabilitation
