The role of positive experiences in living with acquired hearing loss

This paper presents findings from our most recent research investigating positive experiences associated with acquired hearing loss. This work builds upon our earlier qualitative studies but now takes a more quantitative approach. The findings of two separate quantitative questionnaire studies are reported. The aim of the first study was to incorporate and build upon the qualitative work to design a quantitative questionnaire tool. This work produced a 48-itern questionnaire measuring the frequency with which people recognized specific positive experiences. The questionnaire was distributed to 174 consecutive patients. The results of principal component analysis identified eight factors comprising 57% of the total variance. The primary factors were labelled 'Cognitive changes to self-perception', 'Successful communication behaviours', 'Using hearing aids to self-advantage', 'Effort in communication', 'Social support', 'Social contact', and 'Resignation'. The aim of the second study was to reduce and refine the quantitative tool to 20 items. This second tool was distributed to a second sample of 173 consecutive patients. The questionnaires distributed included the revised 20-item positive questionnaire in addition to four additional outcome measures. A principal component analysis was performed, and six factors emerged, accounting for 60.5%,, of the total variance. These factors broadly reflect those previously identified, and were labelled (1) 'Cognitive changes to self-perception', (2) 'Using hearing impairment to self-advantage', (3) 'Successful communication behaviour', (4) 'Resignation', (5) 'Effort in communication', and (6) 'Technical facilitators'. The first second, second and fourth of these may be regarded as non-auditory factors, and the others as auditory factors. There was little relationship between the two types of factors, and a complex set of relationships with the other outcome measures.