A Comparison of Mental Health in Hearing-impaired Elderly with Hearing Aid and without Hearing Aid

Hearing loss can affect physical, mental and social health of deaf adults and lead cause depression, anxiety, isolation, suspicion and stress. This study was aimed to compare mental health in the hearing-impaired elderly with hearing aid and hearing-impaired elderly without hearing aids referring to Ahvaz Imam Khomeini Hospital. Methods and Materials: In this cross- sectional study, the participants included 72 hearing-impaired elderly elderly aged 60 years or older who referred to Ahvaz Imam Khomeini Hospital, 36 of which were with hearing aids and 36 without. Each group consisted of 18 women and 18 men. Data collecting tool included Goldberg General Health Questionnaire–28 (GHQ-28). GHQ-28 included general health and four subscales of anxiety, depression, physical symptoms and social dysfunction. The independent t-test was used for analyzing the data. The mean mental health scores in hearing-impaired elderly without hearing aids and with hearing aid were as 48.13 (57.2%) and 35.66 (42.4%), respectively. Comparing the two groups means through t-test, it was concluded that differences between them is statistically significant (p=0.001). The mental health mean score between men and women in the two groups was significant p≤0. 049. In addition, the difference in the mean mental health subscales between the two groups was significant. Thus the hearing-impaired elderly without hearing aids compared to those with hearing aid are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, physical symptoms and social dysfunctions (p≤0. 003). The results suggest that the hearing-impaired elderly with hearing aid compared to those without hearing aid have more mental health score