Associations between illness perceptions, word recognition, and perceived sound quality in cochlear implant users.

OBJECTIVE: Illness perceptions refer to thoughts and ideas an individual has about an illness. The aim was to understand how cochlear implant (CI) users' illness perceptions, in addition to their monosyllabic word recognition abilities, are associated with their self-perceived sound quality. DESIGN: Data were collected during routine CI check-up appointments. Participants completed the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (assessing their illness perceptions) and the Hearing Implant Sound Quality Index (assessing their subjective sound quality). Additionally, monosyllabic word recognition abilities were measured with the Freiburg Monosyllable Word Test. Hierarchical regression analysis were utilised to model users' sound quality ratings. Participants' age was entered first as a control variable. In the next step, monosyllabic word recognition was entered. Finally, participants' illness perceptions were entered. STUDY SAMPLE: Fifty-five participants with unilateral CI provision. RESULTS: Monosyllabic word recognition was significant in the second step. When illness perceptions and monosyllabic word recognition were both included in the third step, illness perceptions, but not monosyllabic word recognition, were significant. The model explained 22% of the variance of subjective sound quality. CONCLUSIONS: Monosyllabic word recognition abilities and illness perceptions of CI users are important for their self-reported sound quality, but illness perceptions appear to be potentially more relevant.

Depressive symptoms affect short- and long-term speech recognition outcome in cochlear implant users.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of the amount of depressive symptoms in cochlear implant (CI) recipients on the development of speech recognition after CI-activation up to 2 years. DESIGN: Retrospective data analysis of a German short form of the Beck Depression Inventory given at initial activation of the implant in relation to monosyllabic word recognition score at conversational level at initial activation and at 3 months, 1 and 2-year follow-up measurements. STUDY SAMPLE: Thirty-one CI-patients (11 female, 20 male) aged between 41 and 83 (M = 64.77, SD = 10.43) who were German native speakers, postlingually deafened, with severe hearing loss in both sides but unilaterally implanted (19 right-sided, 12 left-sided). RESULTS: The amount of depressive symptoms at initial activation was negatively correlated with the monosyllabic recognition score after 3 months and after 1 year of implant use. CONCLUSION: The psychological status in terms of depressive symptoms is an important parameter regarding the rehabilitative outcome of CI-patients. Care staff and CI-users should be sensitized to the link between depressive symptoms and the development of speech recognition with CI.