title: Qualitative interviews on the beliefs and feelings of adults towards their ownership, but non-use of hearing aids.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Up to a quarter of the adults who own hearing aids never use them. To provide these 'non-users' with the best help, hearing care professionals need to have an in-depth understanding of the non-users' beliefs and feelings with regard to the non-use. This qualitative study explored these beliefs and feelings in order to increase our understanding of hearing aid non-users.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were completed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven hearing aid owners (aged 54-80 years) who reported that they never or hardly ever used their hearing aids.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participants expressed a variety of feelings towards their non-use, including indifference, self-annoyance, frustration, powerlessness, shame, and guilt. Their feelings were related to beliefs about: (1) the severity of their hearing handicap with and without hearing aids, (2) whom or what was responsible for the non-use, and (3) the attitudes of significant others towards the non-use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hearing-aid non-users differ in their beliefs and feelings towards the non-use. A patient-centred approach is needed.
authors.affiliation: * Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre , Maastricht , the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anouk M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Linssen
authors.forename: Manuela A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Joore
authors.forename: Rianne K H
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Minten
authors.forename: Yvonne D
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: van Leeuwen
authors.forename: Lucien J C
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Anteunis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000523:psychology; D003469:Culture; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000523:psychology*; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology*; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D036301:Qualitative Research