Quality of life in adolescence
Reviewed by Kerri Millward & Morag Lockley

Adolescence can be a difficult time and the added complexity of a hearing loss can exacerbate feelings during this period. In the literature, there are mixed findings that show while some children with hearing loss score poorly on some aspects contributing to quality of life (QoL) measures, others score on a par with their normally-hearing peers. Furthermore, some studies have shown that factors, such as hearing technology and school setting, can have an influence. The aim of this recent study was to compare adolescents with cochlear implants (CIs) to their normally-hearing peers on self-reported QoL measures. A 34-item questionnaire was administered with questions taken from two QoL questionnaires aimed at adolescents (aged 10-17 years; implanted <5 years of age). Overall, the children with CIs had higher QoL scores than the normative data gained from their hearing peers. However, the study went on to explore differences within the CI group examining factors such as socioeconomic status (SES), communication method and performance on speech tests. They found that, although there were no significant differences in QoL between lower and higher SES or communication method in the children, those with higher SES who used auditory-verbal communication had higher speech perception scores. Speech perception scores were also significantly poorer in those CI children who had lower SES and used total communication compared with the CI children who had higher SES and used oral communication. This shows that although hearing loss per se may not have an influence on the perceived QoL of adolescents, there are external factors that do contribute. Therefore, within a clinical setting, examining these extraneous factors aside from the hearing loss, could help identify those adolescents who are at increased risk of having a poorer QoL, and appropriate support could then be offered.

Health related quality of life in adolescent cochlear implant users.
Hofmann M, Meloche M, Zwolan TA.
COCHLEAR IMPLANTS INTERNATIONAL
2020;21(4):198-205.