Subjective hearing handicap is associated with processing speed and visuospatial performance in older adults without severe hearing handicap

Objective: Age-related hearing loss is a common disorder with significant consequences for quality of life. This study assessed the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) and cognition (Mini Mental State Exam; MMSE, Logical Memory; LM, Symbol Search; SS, Stroop Test; ST, and Mental Rotation; MR) to investigate which cognitive domains are most strongly involved with hearing self-assessment in older adults. Methods: The HHIE and cognitive measures were administered to 196 older adults (average age = 67.7 +/- 4.3 years, male 56, female 140) without cognitive impairment and without severe hearing handicap. We conducted permutation tests of multiple regression analysis of the standardized scores on the HHIE and cognitive tests. Results: HHIE showed a significant negative correlation between processing speed performance on the SS (standardized 13 = -0.095, adjusted p = 0.04) and visuospatial performance on the MR (standardized 13 = -0.145, adjusted p = 0.04), and no correlation between the scores of the HHIE and either episodic memory performance on the LM (standardized 13 = 0.060, adjusted p = 0.22) or executive function performance on the ST (standardized 13 = 0.053, adjusted p = 0.32). Conclusion: People reporting higher hearing handicaps should watch for poor cognitive function in processing speed and visuospatial abilities. These results imply that higher HHIE can have adverse effects on age-related cognitive decline.