The relation among tinnitus distress, psychoacoustic parameters and anxiety state in hearing-impaired patients with chronic tinnitus: a pilot study

Anxiety and depression are prevalent psychological disorders accompany tinnitus that have adverse effects on quality of life of these patients and on the outcomes of rehabilitation programs. The goal of this study was determining and quantifying the relation among perceived tinnitus severity, its psychoacoustic parameters and anxiety symptoms in hearing-impaired individuals with subjective chronic tinnitus and residual inhibition (RI) by using Persian version of Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), tinnitus handicap inventory-Persian version (THI-P) and visual analogue scale (VAS) besides psychometric evaluations.

Fourteen patients with chronic tinnitus were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Conventional psychoacoustic tinnitus evaluations (i.e. determining quality of tinnitus, pitch matching, loudness matching, minimum masking level and RI) were conducted for all subjects, and they also completed the Persian version of STAI and THI-P. For screening of tinnitus perceived loudness and distress, VAS was used.

There was no correlation among THI-P, VAS scores and psychoacoustic parameters. There was a positive significant correlation between THI-P and Persian STAI scores (r = 0.63; p = 0.01). There was not any significant correlation between tinnitus duration and VAS, STAI or THI-P. There also had no significant correlation between VAS and THI-P (r = 0.56; p = 0.2).

The present pilot study showed that Persian version of THI and STAI are correlated questionnaires. Therefore, Persian version of these questionnaires are valuable tools for evaluation of patients with chronic tinnitus.