Age-related hearing loss in individuals and their caregivers: effects of coping on the quality of life among the dyads

Abstract

ObjectivesAge-related hearing loss (ARHL) impacts the daily living and quality of life (QoL) of affected individuals and the functioning of family caregivers. In the specific context of voluntary medical checkups, we examined sample dyads (ARHL individual and the caregiver) to determine whether QoL of patients and caregivers is influenced by coping strategies implemented either by themselves or their relatives.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study with a descriptive/correlative design performed in a French preventive health center (Regional Institute for Prevention of Aging, Marseille, France) for the beneficiaries of pension funds of private sector employees. The samples included beneficiary–caregiver dyads. The beneficiaries had bilateral (mild to moderately severe) ARHL. Self-reported data were collected as follows: QoL using the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire, coping strategies using the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Scale, and anxiety and mood using visual analog scales.ResultsThe final sample comprised 44 beneficiaries and 44 caregivers. The caregiver was the partner of the beneficiary in 73% of cases. The QoL scores of the social dimension were significantly lower for beneficiaries and caregivers compared with French age- and sex-matched controls. Among beneficiaries and caregivers, coping strategies based on problem solving were the most commonly used strategies. The use of positive thinking strategies was associated with higher QoL scores. The more one member of the dyad used an avoidance coping strategy, the more the other member used a positive thinking strategy.ConclusionThis study emphasizes that QoL of individuals with age-related hearing impairment and their natural caregivers is related to the coping strategies that they use. This finding suggests that targeted interventions should be offered to help individuals who experience emotional difficulties to implement more efficient coping strategies.

Coping strategies and quality of life: a longitudinal study of high-grade glioma patient-caregiver dyads

“…The main finding of this study indicates that the QoL of a patient with a newly diagnosed high-grade glioma, assessed away from the diagnosis, may be related not only to the coping strategy he/she mobilizes at the time of diagnosis but also to the coping strategies his/her caregivers mobilize. This observation was already described in cross-sectional studies in both the context of cancer [ 14 , 29 , 30 ] and various non-cancer related contexts [ 16 , 17 , 31 , 32 ]. However, to our knowledge, no study has reported this phenomenon across longitudinal designs that nonetheless allow for causality inferences to be made between coping strategies and QoL.…”

“…Overall, at the time of the assessment, both mobilized active strategies based on problem-solving and positive thinking more than passive strategies based on looking for social support or avoidance. This trend, already described in the literature in other models of illness [ 15 – 17 ], was always present at the second assessment, 3 months following the diagnosis, during which a sequence of serious events occurs: information about poor prognosis, initiation of the first aggressive treatments, occurrence of serious adverse events due to the treatments, aggravation of disease symptoms, and possible progression of the disease. Because of the rapid progression of the disease, patients with high-grade gliomas and their caregivers only have a short time to adapt.…”

“…The nature of an individual’s coping strategies may directly impact not only their own QoL, but also the QoL of the family caregiver. Previous studies have examined these effects in various contexts, such as when individuals have cancer [ 14 , 15 ], severe mental diseases [ 16 ], or hearing impairment [ 17 ]. Coping strategies based on problem-solving or positive thinking appear to be associated with a better QoL, while coping strategies based on avoidance or social support appear to be a psychological risk factor for a lower QoL [ 18 ].…”

Dyadic effects of coping strategies, time perspectives, and personality on the quality of life of cancer patients and their caregivers

“…In particular, patients and their caregivers were found to implement coping strategies based on problem solving and positive thinking more than strategies based on social support or avoidance (statistically not tested). This unbalanced use has already been described in other populations, including individuals with severe and less severe diseases and impairments, such as gliomas, depression, and age‐related hearing loss, and their caregivers. This finding suggests that people who know each other very well and who face the same difficult situation tend to cope with it similarly.…”

Coping with age-related hearing loss: patient-caregiver dyad effects on quality of life

“…In the specific context of ARHL, we previously emphasized [19] that quality of life of individuals and their natural caregivers was related to the coping strategies that they use. However, the previous study was performed on a small sample size ( N = 44) and did not use specific dyadic analyses that integrate a conceptual view of interdependence in two-person relationships.…”