Skip to main content
AAA 2025+HearTECH Expo Main banner
Register Now
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
Tier 1
Tier 1
Ethics
Ethics
Hub
Hub
Ticket Required
Ticket Required

(Re)habilitation and Counseling (C)

PP103 - Dating with Hearing Loss: The "Hearing Aid Effect"

POSTERS
Instructional Level: Fundamental

    Lead Presenter(s)

  • KH

    Kaytin M. Hardman (she/her/hers)

    Undergraduate Student
    University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
    The University of Oklahoma Health Science Center; Hearing, Evaluations, Rehabilitation, and Outcomes Laboratory (HERO)
    Norman, Oklahoma

    Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

    • Presenter(s)

  • CF

    Catherine Fair

    Undergraduate Presenter
    HERO Lab/ Communication Sciences and Disorders Program/ Allied Health College/ University of Oklahoma Health Science Center
    Peoria, Arizona

    Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

  • KK

    Kristen Koporc, Undergrad

    Univeristy of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
    Norman, Oklahoma

    Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

  • GK

    Grace B. Kula

    Student Presenter
    University of Oklahoma
    plano, Texas

    Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

  • GM

    Grace Murphree

    University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
    Plano, Texas

    Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

  • Carole E. Johnson, AuD, PhD

    Professor
    HERO Laboratory
    University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
    Edmond, Oklahoma

    Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Abstract:
The “Hearing Aid Effect” is negative public impressions of a person wearing hearing aids and people with hearing loss may feel self-conscious about dating. This study is a cross-sectional survey of adults with and without hearing loss and how they feel about this disability, in themselves or a partner, when navigating the dating world. We believe we will find that there are negative attitudes about hearing loss in the dating world. In addition ,we hypothesize the older someone is, hearing loss and the visual presence of hearing aids are less stigmatizing (of self and others).

Summary:
Background Information
The “Hearing Aid Effect” is negative public impressions of a person wearing hearing aids and people with hearing loss may feel self-conscious about dating. This study is a cross-sectional survey of adults with and without hearing loss and how they feel about this disability, in themselves or a partner, when navigating the dating world. We believe we will find that there are negative attitudes about hearing loss in the dating world. In addition, we hypothesize the older someone is, hearing loss and the visual presence of hearing aids have less stigma (of self and others).

Hearing loss can impact many aspects of an individual’s life and having to wear hearing aids may impact one’s dating life. The “Hearing Aid Effect” is negative public impressions of the person wearing hearing aids. It would be important to determine how people with and without hearing loss feel about dating and the visual presence of hearing aids.

Specific aim one is to determine how people with hearing loss and who wear hearing aids feel about their disability and navigating the dating world.

Specific aim 2 is to determine how people without hearing loss feel about dating someone with a hearing loss wearing hearing aids.

Specific aim 3, is to determine if age is associated with positive attitudes toward dating. We hypothesize that people with hearing loss may be reticent about dating, that they may face negative attitudes of some people without hearing loss. We also hypothesize that there is an association between age and attitudes about dating for people with and without hearing loss. In other words, the older someone is, hearing loss and the visual presence of hearing aids have less stigma (of self and others).

Type of Study
The study is a cross-sectional study.

Methods
A Qualtrics survey was developed to assess the perceptions people with and without hearing loss. A link to the survey is being sent to people in various online dating and meet-up groups. Descriptive statistics will be computed and reported for all variables. Some categories may be collapsed for multiple variables due to small cell count sizes. Initially, univariate models may be created for each outcome and explanatory variables. Significant and near significant variables (p < 0.10) from univariate models will be used in constructing the multivariate model. For all multivariate models, a backwards selection process will be used to find the most parsimonious multivariate model. All statistical tests assumed a significance level of 0.05 and SAS 9.4 was used for all computations.

Conclusion
The results of this study will inform counseling strategies to be used with adults with hearing loss and wear hearing aids. This project will be completed by February 3, 2025.

Learning Objectives:

  • Upon completion, participants will be able to describe stigmas associated with hearing loss and hearing aids in dating and social relationships.