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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Impact of self-assessed hearing loss on a spouse
— a longitudinal analysis of couples | | Author(s) | Margaret I Wallhagen, William J Strawbridge, Sarah J Shema |
| Journal title | Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, vol 59B, no 3, May 2004 |
| Pages | pp S190-S196 |
| Source | http://www.geron.org |
| Keywords | Hearing Impairment ; Spouses ; Married couples ; Longitudinal surveys ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Hearing loss is increasingly common in older people and is negatively associated with health and well-being. This study analyses the relationship between a spouse's self-assessed hearing loss and his or her partner's physical, psychological and social well-being 5 years later. Subjects were 438 older married couples from the Almeida County Study in California. Hearing loss and adjustment variables were assessed in 1994 and outcomes in 1999. Longitudinal analyses included multivariate statistical models using generalised estimating equations to adjust for paired data and partners' hearing loss, age, gender, chronic conditions and financial problems. Spouse hearing loss increased the likelihood of subsequent poorer physical, psychological and social well-being in partners. The negative impact of husbands' hearing loss on wives' well-being appears stronger than the reverse. Findings suggest that early diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss constitute important clinical strategies to enhance the well-being of both hearing-impaired individuals and their spouses. The findings also lend support to policy change to cover hearing devices by insurance. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-041103216 A |
| Classmark | BV: SN: SM: 3J: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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