Vocational aspects of acquired hearing loss.
Although there is increasing concern about the effects of hearing loss at work and although we have developed considerable understanding of the problems of people born deaf, there has been relatively little study of those who develop a hearing loss during their working lives. If this hearing loss were profound and sudden, we would predict loss of job and isolation. Fortunately, this occurrence is rare and people usually face a longer period of declining hearing. We have interviewed 105 people with a hearing loss in an attempt to discover the extent of their adjustment and particularly their attitudes to their employment. The results, compared to hearing norms, indicate greater job satisfaction than is expected from their job conditions but also greater anxiety. This is accompanied by curtailed promotion prospects. These confirm the primary effects of hearing loss on the quality of employment life.
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006113:United Kingdom