Program

Historically, it was assumed that decisions about hearing rehabilitation arise from considerations about the impact of hearing difficulties in everyday listening situations. Typically, a basic test of perception (i.e., the audiogram) was used to identify appropriate candidates for hearing rehabilitation. Research, most notably from the last decade, reveals that the decision making process is substantially more complex and is influenced by a number of factors previously believed to be considered “extraneous”. This presentation will highlight some of the ways that psychological processes influence the decision to engage in hearing rehabilitation and how these processes also affect clinical outcomes. Specifically, the presentation will discuss how different elements of the hearing journey (e.g., contemplation, decision making, and action) are influenced by cognitive and socio-emotional processes. One relevant cognitive process is how we as clinicians frame information that we present to persons with hearing loss. One relevant socio-emotional process is the presence/absence of significant others during audiology appointments. Recent evidence from our lab suggests that even the nature of the relationship between the patient and significant other can potentially influence hearing aid uptake. The presentation will conclude with recommendations that can directly inform clinical care.