The effects of COVID-19 on people with hearing loss in Malta

Abstract

There has been no research in Malta addressing the effects of the pandemic on the hearing-impaired population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difficulties encountered by hearing-impaired individuals aged 18-65 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. A questionnaire and focus groups were used to gather information about the participants regarding the effects of the COVID-19 situation on hearing-impaired individuals. Convenient sampling was used to recruit 115 participants who have at least a hearing loss (HL) of 26dB in one or both ears, from the ENT outpatients at the state general hospital. Results indicated that communication with family and friends, mask use, social distancing as well as problems at the work place and in the class/ lecture room, were among the most difficulties encountered by hearing-impaired individuals during the pandemic in Malta. Additionally, some of the respondents who contracted COVID-19 noticed a decrease in hearing, dizziness and tinnitus. It was found that as HL increased, more participants opted to use a hearing device. Increased anxiety secondary to mask use was mostly found in hearing device users. Hearing device users were also found to encounter problems when using social media and they argued more with relatives. Moreover, during the pandemic, the participants used their hearing device less. Recommended solutions to the problems related with COVID-19 pandemic by the respondents included subtitles possibly on all the television programs, more written information and also the use of transparent masks to facilitate lip reading. In this study it would have been ideal if more participants were recruited both in the questionnaire and the focus groups. This study leads the way for future research investigating different age groups and also different types of hearing devices.