The impact of device satisfaction on family quality of life in hearing aid users

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate device satisfaction in individuals with hearing loss and examine the impact on their family members’ quality of life. Patients and Methods: The clinical study involved a total of 110 participants between April 2023 and June 2023. Of these, 55 (30 males, 25 females; mean age: 21.6±4.6 years; range, 18 to 24 years) were hearing aid users, and 55 females (mean age: 42.1±4 years; range, 35 to 50 years) were family members of these individuals. The Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Living questionnaire was used to assess hearing aid satisfaction, and the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale was administered to the family members of hearing-impaired individuals. Results: A statistically significant difference was found in the subdimension scores of Personal Image and Appearance according to the participants' sex (p<0.05). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the ages of hearing-impaired individuals and the scores of the Financial/Physical/Material Sufficiency subdimensions (r=0.271, p<0.05). The participants' Positive Effect scores showed a statistically significant and positive relationship with Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale (r=0.440; p<0.01), Family Interaction (r=0.455; p<0.01) Emotional well being (r=0.297; p<0.05), and Financial/Physical/Material well being (r=0.293; p<0.05) scores. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the ages of hearing-impaired individuals and the scores of the Financial/Physical/Material well being subdimensions (r=0.271, p<0.05). Conclusion: Personal characteristics, such as age and sex, along with the duration of hearing aid use, significantly influence the satisfaction with hearing aids and the quality of life for the family members of individuals with hearing loss.