TY - JOUR
T1 - The influence of tinnitus and hearing loss on the functional status of military Service members and Veterans
AU - Lewis, M. Samantha
AU - Reavis, Kelly M.
AU - Griest, Susan
AU - Carlson, Kathleen F.
AU - Gordon, Jane
AU - Henry, James
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from the United States (U.S.) Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (PR121146, JW160036, and JW210396), the DoD Hearing Center of Excellence (HCE; Air Force Research Laboratory S-16945-02 and Air Force Medical Operations PR121146), and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development (RR&D) Research Career Scientist Awards (C9247S and 1 IK6 RX002990). This work was also supported with resources and the use of facilities at the DoD HCE, Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, and the VA RR&D National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (Award #C9230C) at the VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, Oregon. The School of Audiology at Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon has provided salary support and resources to the first author. The authors would like to thank Wendy Helt, Sarah Theodoroff, Donald Austin, Emily Thielman, Samrita Thapa, Rozela Melgoza, and Cody Evans for their contributions to this project and Tanisha Hammill and Victoria Tepe for their feedback on this manuscript. We also would like to thank our military Service members and Veteran participants for their time and contribution of personal health information to this study.
Funding Information:
The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office. This work was supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, through the Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program under Award No. W81XWH-17-1-0020. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and may not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
Publisher Copyright:
©, This work was authored as part of the Contributor's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Objective: This study evaluated the influence of tinnitus and hearing loss on the functional status of military Service members and Veterans. Design: Participants completed audiologic testing and self-report instruments to assess tinnitus, hearing, and general functioning. We conducted multiple linear regression analyses using cross-sectional data with functional status as the dependent variable. The primary independent variables were tinnitus and average low-, high-, and extended high-frequency hearing thresholds. Secondary independent variables were subjective tinnitus severity and hearing difficulties. Each of the independent variables was modelled separately for Service members and Veterans; covariates for each multivariable model were identified a priori and, depending on the association being modelled, included age, gender, blast-wave exposure, and history of military traumatic brain injury. Study Sample: Data were analysed from 283 Service members and 390 Veterans. Results: After controlling for potential confounders, presence of tinnitus, tinnitus severity, average low-frequency hearing thresholds, and subjective hearing difficulties were significantly associated with functional status in Service members and Veterans. Conclusions: These results suggest that tinnitus and poorer low-frequency hearing, and the perceived severity of tinnitus and hearing difficulties, may be associated with poorer functional status among Service members and Veterans.
AB - Objective: This study evaluated the influence of tinnitus and hearing loss on the functional status of military Service members and Veterans. Design: Participants completed audiologic testing and self-report instruments to assess tinnitus, hearing, and general functioning. We conducted multiple linear regression analyses using cross-sectional data with functional status as the dependent variable. The primary independent variables were tinnitus and average low-, high-, and extended high-frequency hearing thresholds. Secondary independent variables were subjective tinnitus severity and hearing difficulties. Each of the independent variables was modelled separately for Service members and Veterans; covariates for each multivariable model were identified a priori and, depending on the association being modelled, included age, gender, blast-wave exposure, and history of military traumatic brain injury. Study Sample: Data were analysed from 283 Service members and 390 Veterans. Results: After controlling for potential confounders, presence of tinnitus, tinnitus severity, average low-frequency hearing thresholds, and subjective hearing difficulties were significantly associated with functional status in Service members and Veterans. Conclusions: These results suggest that tinnitus and poorer low-frequency hearing, and the perceived severity of tinnitus and hearing difficulties, may be associated with poorer functional status among Service members and Veterans.
KW - Noise
KW - epidemiology
KW - psycho-social/emotional
KW - tinnitus
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85134057377&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14992027.2021.2017494
DO - 10.1080/14992027.2021.2017494
M3 - Article
C2 - 35819808
AN - SCOPUS:85134057377
SN - 1499-2027
VL - 62
SP - 44
EP - 52
JO - International journal of audiology
JF - International journal of audiology
IS - 1
ER -