symptoms of depression and social isolation : the consequences of functional hearing impairment in residents of complex continuing care facilities
abstract
earlier evidence was not conclusive about whether hearing
loss is associated with depression and social isolation in
elderly residents. the purpose of this study was to determine
whether functional hearing impairment (fhi) in residents in
complex continuing care facilities is associated with depression
and social isolation (anhedonia, reduced social engagement, and
reduced activity levels).
results indicate that functional hearing impairment is
associated with symptoms of depression. residents with fhi have
higher levels of anhedonia. moderate/severe functional hearing
impairment is associated with reduced social engagement and low
activity level. path analyses showed that fhi impairs linguistic
communication, linguistic communication results in social
isolation, and social isolation lowers mood. results also showed
a direct effect of fhi on mood.
this study adds to the literature in support of an
association between functional hearing impairment, depression,
and social isolation. although this study is correlational, we
propose that functional hearing impairment is associated with
depression because of the social isolation caused by poor
linguistic communication. while only a hypothesis, pre-existing
ailments associated with complex continuing care may also
amplify a sense of social isolation.
collections
- retrospective theses [1604]