title: Hearing-impaired adults are at increased risk of experiencing emotional distress and social engagement restrictions five years later.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  we aimed to assess both cross-sectional and temporal links between measured hearing impairment and self-perceived hearing handicap, and health outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  in total, 811 Blue Mountains Hearing Study participants (Sydney, Australia) aged ≥55 years were examined twice (1997-99 and 2002-04). Hearing levels were measured with pure-tone audiometry. The shortened version of the hearing handicap inventory (HHIE-S) was administered, scores ≥8 defined hearing handicap.
  
  
  RESULTS
  baseline hearing impairment was strongly associated with 7 of the 10 HHIE-S questions, 5 years later. Individuals with and without hearing impairment at baseline reported that they felt embarrassed and/or frustrated by their hearing problem, and that it hampered their personal/social life, multivariable-adjusted OR: 11.5 (CI: 3.5-38.1), OR: 6.3 (CI: 2.5-15.7) and OR: 6.0 (CI: 2.1-17.5), respectively, 5 years later. Hearing-impaired, compared with non-hearing-impaired adults had a significantly higher risk of developing moderate or severe hearing handicap, OR: 3.35 (CI: 1.91-5.90) and OR: 6.60 (CI: 1.45-30.00), respectively. Cross-sectionally (at wave 2), hearing handicap increased the odds of depressive symptoms and low self-rated health by 80 and 46%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  older, hearing-impaired adults were significantly more likely to experience emotional distress and social engagement restrictions (self-perceived hearing handicap) directly due to their hearing impairment.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW,  Australia.
authors.forename: Bamini
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gopinath
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hickson
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Burlutsky
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Leeder
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D063508:Social Discrimination / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires