Hearing aids: comparative study of the hearing difficulties and the benefit of the amplification in hearing aids users with non-linear and linear amplification

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantify and to compare the hearing difficulties and the benefit of the amplification in new hearing aid users, through application of APHAB self scale questionnaire, taking into consideration two variables: the linear or non-linear amplification type and the time of use. Forty-two patients with mild to severe hearing losses were evaluated — thirteen of them with non-linear amplification and twenty-nine with linear amplification. The APHAB self scale questionnaire, developed by Cox and Alexander in 1995, was filled in by the patients of the different groups before the hearing aid was fitted and, also, after two and six months of its use. For the statistical analysis, the ANOVA test was used with a significance level of 5%. The linear hearing aids users showed better performance in EC (Ease of Communication), RV (Reverberation) and BN (Background Noise) subscales, although those results have not been statistically significant. The acquired benefit of the amplification after two and six months of the hearing aid use was satisfactory. The discomfort for loud sounds (AV subscale) was greater for the linear hearing aid users. Significant differences were not observed in the performance of the users of linear and non linear circuits, however there was some tendency for the linear hearing aid users to present less difficulty in different acoustic situations. The benefit obtained from the amplification was satisfactory, independently of the hearing aid type and the time of its use.