Introduction Hearing loss is one of the most common impairments of quality of life. Furthermore,
hearing loss has been associated with loneliness and depression and may have important
implications for the psychosocial and cognitive health. This study´s objective was
to give current information about the prevalence of hearing loss, loneliness and depressive
symptoms in a large population-based cohort. Furthermore, hearing loss was correlated
with loneliness and depression.
Material and Methods The Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) is a large cohort study and was initiated at the
University Medical Center Mainz, Germany, in 2007. Since 2017, pure-tone audiograms
were performed, and hearing loss was then graduated in percentages according to WHO.
In addition, participants completed standardized self-reported instruments to measure
loneliness (Loneliness Scale≥2) and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9≥10).
Results The main cohort consisted of 5,372 participants with 48.7% being women and 51.3%
men. The average age was 61.2 years (SD: 13.3). The prevalence of hearing loss was
41.2%. Loneliness was reported by 9.7% of the participants and the prevalence of depressive
symptoms was present in 6.0%. The odds ratio (OR) for loneliness was significantly
higher for participants with severe to complete hearing loss (OR 4.201, p=0.0051).
Participants with mild to severe hearing loss had a significantly higher risk of depressive
symptoms compared to participants without hearing loss (OR 1.284; p=0.039).
Conclusion The main finding of this study is that hearing loss promotes both loneliness and
depression. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the causality and
moreover, the direct influence of early hearing aid fitting on the development of
loneliness and depression.
