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Biomedical subjects

B E Weinstein

Publications and source records attributed to B E Weinstein.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Audiometric correlates of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the elderly.

The self-assessment of hearing handicap has received considerable attention in recent years. The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) is a self-assessment technique designed to quantify the emotional and social effects of self-perceived hearing impairment in the noninstitutionalized elderly. The purpose of the present study was to examine the audiometric correlates of hearing handicap as measured by the HHIE. One hundred elderly subjects received complete audiometric evaluations as well as the HHIE. The results indicated that pure-tone sensitivity in the better ear was most highly correlated with the HHIE (r = .61) and that word recognition accounted for no more than 20% of the variance in HHIE scores. These results are similar to those reported for younger subjects and for other handicap assessment techniques. The results also indicated that there is considerable individual variability in the emotional and social response to hearing impairment, especially in individuals with mild (26-40 dB PTA in better ear) hearing impairment. The variability in response to impairment coupled with the fact that audiometric measures explain less than 50% of the variance in hearing handicap suggest that hearing handicap in the elderly will be measured more appropriately via a self-report format rather than as an inference from audiometric data.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

Audiologic correlates of hearing handicap in the elderly.

This investigation was conducted to determine the relationship between self-assessed hearing handicap and audiometric measures in a large sample of noninstitutionalized elderly individuals. Eighty subjects underwent a complete audiological evaluation and responded to the Hearing Measurement Scale (HMS). Each of the correlations between measures of sensitivity and the HMS score was statistically significant. The speech discrimination scores showed a somewhat lower correlation with the HMS score than did pure-tone measures. The implications of the above findings are discussed.

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PubMed1982

Hearing impairment and social isolation in the elderly.

This investigation was conducted to determine the relationship between hearing impairment and social isolation in a sample of community-based individuals over age 65. Each subject reported first noting a hearing loss after age 53. In all cases the hearing loss was insidious in onset and of unknown etiology. All subjects underwent a complete audiological evaluation. This included pure-tone testing, speech discrimination testing, and self-assessed hearing handicap. Further, responses were obtained to scales which measured quantitatively the degree of subjective and objective social isolation. Each of the correlations between the Objective and Subjective Social Isolation Scale scores and the audiologic variables was statistically significant. The audiologic measures were more strongly correlated with the subjective than with the objective isolation measures. The Hearing Measurement Scale (HMS) score explained the greatest and the W-22 score the smallest proportion of the variance in each of the isolation scale scores.

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PubMedDate not supplied

The hearing handicap inventory for the elderly: a new tool.

This report describes the development and standardization of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE). This self-assessment tool is designed to assess the effects of hearing impairment on the emotional and social adjustment of elderly people. The inventory is comprised of two subscales: a 13-item subscale explores the emotional consequences of hearing impairment; a 12-item subscale explores both social and situational effects. The inventory was administered to 100 elderly subjects (mean age = 75 years) with hearing threshold levels in the better ear ranging from normal to severe. The reliability of the HHIE was evaluated by assessing its internal consistency through the computation of Chronbach's alpha. Alpha values ranged from 0.88 (social/situational subscale) to 0.95 for the entire inventory. Split-half reliabilities were equally high. The validity of the HHIE was not directly evaluated. Certain aspects of the data, however, support the construct validity of the instrument, while analysis of the questions themselves appears to attest to its content validity. Possible uses of the inventory were described and suggestions were made regarding future research on the instrument. The reliability and validity of the HHIE as well as its brevity, simplicity, and ease of administration and interpretation all recommend its use in assessing hearing handicap in the elderly.

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