title: On the relationship between functional hearing and depression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish the effect of self-rated and measured functional hearing on depression, taking age and gender into account. Additionally, the study investigates if hearing-aid usage mitigates the effect, and if other physical health problems and social engagement confound it.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data from the UK Biobank resource, including subjective and behavioural measures of functional hearing and multifactorial measures of depressive episodes and symptoms, were accessed and analysed using multi-regression analyses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over 100 000 community-dwelling, 39-70 year-old volunteers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Irrespective of measurement method, poor functional hearing was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with higher levels of depressive episodes (≤ 0.16 factor scores) and depressive symptoms (≤ 0.30 factor scores) when controlling for age and gender. Associations were stronger for subjective reports, for depressive symptoms, and the younger participants. Females generally reported higher levels of depression. Hearing-aid usage did not show a mitigating effect on the associations. Other physical health problems particularly partially confounded the effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data support an association between functional hearing and depression that is stronger in the younger participants (40-49 years old) and for milder depression. The association was not alleviated by hearing-aid usage, but was partially confounded by other physical health problems.
authors.affiliation: a * National Acoustic Laboratories , Sydney , Australia.
authors.forename: Gitte
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Keidser
authors.affiliation: a * National Acoustic Laboratories , Sydney , Australia.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seeto
authors.affiliation: b Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning , Linköping University , Sweden.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rudner
authors.affiliation: c Environmental Psychology, Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gävle , Sweden.
authors.forename: Staffan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hygge
authors.affiliation: b Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning , Linköping University , Sweden.
authors.forename: Jerker
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rönnberg
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001307:Auditory Perception; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Hearing; depression; epidemiology; hearing aids; mental health