The hearing aid effect across socioeconomically diverse settings

Abstract

Hearing aids serve as the prescribed intervention for addressing the majority of hearing losses, yet their adoption and usage encounter resistance among individuals. This is largely attributed to the hearing aid effect (HAE), wherein negative stereotypes are linked to hearing aid users. While existing research has explored the HAE in relation several factors little is known about how factors like rural or urban settings and level of education influence it. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the hearing aid effect across diverse rural and urban populations with varying educational backgrounds. A quantitative cross-sectional questionnaire was completed by 322 participants (urban=161, rural=161) selected through purposive snowball sampling. Participants were required to complete the Bipolar Semantic Differential Scale based on photographs of a model wearing seven hearing devices, namely standard behind-the-ear hearing aid (BTE HA) with an earmould; mini BTE HA with a slim tube (ST), in-the-canal (ITC) HA, Airpod, receiver-in-canal (RIC); completely-in-canal (CIC) HA; and Personal sound amplification product (PSAP). Comparisons were made between the mean scores obtained for the various devices to those of the standard BTE hearing aid. Findings show that the hearing aid effect exists and there are significant differences (p < 0.01) between the rural and urban populations in ratings for attributes such as age and hardworking. Significant differences (p < 0.01) were also noted across levels of education; those with tertiary education, compared to those with primary and secondary education, found the model to be younger when wearing an Airpod and to be more hardworking when wearing a ST hearing aid. This study concluded that there is a neutral to positive view of hearing devices. These findings highlight the significance of considering patients' socioeconomic circumstances when prescribing hearing aids. Nevertheless, further research is required to investigate the underlying reasons behind the differences in perception between rural and urban residents.