TY - JOUR
T1 - Blast exposure and self-reported hearing difficulty in service members and veterans who have normal pure-tone hearing sensitivity
T2 - The mediating role of posttraumatic stress disorder
AU - Reavis, Kelly M.
AU - Snowden, Jonathan M.
AU - Henry, James A.
AU - Gallun, Frederick J.
AU - Lewis, M. Samantha
AU - Carlson, Kathleen F.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/11
Y1 - 2021/11
N2 - Purpose: Evidence suggests that military blast exposure may lead to self-reported hearing difficulties despite audio-metrically normal hearing. Research identifying potential mechanisms of this association remains limited. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the associations between blast, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and self-reported hearing difficulty, and to examine PTSD as a possible mediator of the association between blast exposure and hearing difficulty. Method: We used baseline data from the Noise Outcomes in Service members Epidemiology (NOISE) study (n = 477). Participants in this study undergo a comprehensive hearing, and tinnitus if applicable, evaluation and complete a large number of surveys. Pertinent data extracted from these surveys included information on participant’s demographics, military service history, including exposure to blast, and health conditions such as symptoms of PTSD. Using regression models and following a formal causal mediation framework, we estimated total associations, natural direct and indirect associations, and percent mediated. Results: We found that individuals with blast exposure had higher prevalence of both probable PTSD and self-reported hearing difficulty than individuals who were not blast exposed. Compared with participants without blast exposure, those with blast exposure had twice the prevalence of self-reported hearing difficulty, with 41% of the association mediated through probable PTSD. Conclusion: As PTSD is a possible mediator of the association between blast exposure and hearing difficulty, Service members and Veterans with normal pure-tone hearing sensitivity who report hearing difficulties and a history of blast exposure may benefit from evaluation for PTSD symptoms. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha. 16674247.
AB - Purpose: Evidence suggests that military blast exposure may lead to self-reported hearing difficulties despite audio-metrically normal hearing. Research identifying potential mechanisms of this association remains limited. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the associations between blast, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and self-reported hearing difficulty, and to examine PTSD as a possible mediator of the association between blast exposure and hearing difficulty. Method: We used baseline data from the Noise Outcomes in Service members Epidemiology (NOISE) study (n = 477). Participants in this study undergo a comprehensive hearing, and tinnitus if applicable, evaluation and complete a large number of surveys. Pertinent data extracted from these surveys included information on participant’s demographics, military service history, including exposure to blast, and health conditions such as symptoms of PTSD. Using regression models and following a formal causal mediation framework, we estimated total associations, natural direct and indirect associations, and percent mediated. Results: We found that individuals with blast exposure had higher prevalence of both probable PTSD and self-reported hearing difficulty than individuals who were not blast exposed. Compared with participants without blast exposure, those with blast exposure had twice the prevalence of self-reported hearing difficulty, with 41% of the association mediated through probable PTSD. Conclusion: As PTSD is a possible mediator of the association between blast exposure and hearing difficulty, Service members and Veterans with normal pure-tone hearing sensitivity who report hearing difficulties and a history of blast exposure may benefit from evaluation for PTSD symptoms. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha. 16674247.
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U2 - 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-20-00687
DO - 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-20-00687
M3 - Article
C2 - 34582257
AN - SCOPUS:85121318297
SN - 1092-4388
VL - 64
SP - 4458
EP - 4467
JO - Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
JF - Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
IS - 11
ER -