Hearing Aid Self-Efficacy of New and Experienced Hearing Aid Users

ABSTRACT

Hearing aid self-efficacy (i.e., beliefs individuals have in their ability to perform the skills needed to be successful hearing aid users) may be related to long-term hearing aid use. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the audiologic correlates of hearing aid self-efficacy as assessed by the Measure of Audiologic Rehabilitation Self-Efficacy for Hearing Aids (MARS-HA). New and experienced hearing aid users (n = 211) were given the MARS-HA. The results indicated that individuals with moderately severe hearing loss had lower self-efficacy for aided listening conditions than individuals with mild hearing loss. Individuals with poor word recognition abilities in quiet also had lower overall hearing aid self-efficacy than individuals with good to fair word recognition abilities. These results suggested that hearing aid users who have a moderate hearing loss (or worse) and hearing aid users with poor word recognition abilities may require additional counseling and audiologic rehabilitation to increase their hearing aid self-efficacy.

Hearing aids - self-efficacy - older adult - outcome measurement - audiologic rehabilitation

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