Hearing loss and work participation: a cross-sectional study in Norway

Solheim, Jorunn; Rise, Marit By; Jensen, Chris

doi:10.1080/14992027.2018.1464216

Cited by 37 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…However, the flexibility and accommodation by manager and coworkers tended to be restricted to task adjustments and occasional communication adaptations normally without the use of assistive listening devices. A cross-sectional study in Norway also found a low use of assistive listening devices (18.9%) additional to hearing aids among persons with hearing impairments in working age [14]. The same study also found that 30.7% reported to be in need of hearing related accommodation without receiving it.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…An increased need for recovery with increased hearing loss was found in a cohort study [13], and a higher prevalence of hearing problems (hearing loss and/or tinnitus) was found among those with higher burnout scores [12]. Moreover, an elevated fatigue score among people with hearing loss of working age was found in a cross-sectional study [14]. The high levels of fatigue/exhaustion have been associated with the concentration and the hypervigilance, which employees with hearing impairments need in work settings [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

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Working life trajectories with hearing impairment

Jensen

Rise

2018

Disability and Rehabilitation

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Purpose: The aim was to identify and explore factors, which facilitate or hinder work participation for people with hearing impairment. Materials and methods: In-depth interviews with 21 hearing impaired individuals of 32-67 years of age with a present or recent vocational affiliation were conducted. The analysis was conducted using a grounded theory approach. Results: The analysis resulted in a conceptual framework of working life trajectories evolving through three phases of acknowledgement of hearing loss impact: the pre-acknowledgement, acknowledgement, and post-acknowledgement phase. The phases were influenced by the qualities of three contexts: the personal, the workplace, and the service provider. The qualities of the contexts, together with the amount of time spent in a pre-acknowledgement phase, formed the trajectories towards continuation of work participation or towards a disconnection. Accumulated risk factors constituted increased likelihood of disconnecting trajectories, while accumulated facilitating factors supported sustainable trajectories. Conclusions: The results revealed a need for extended support at the workplaces, which includes the manager, colleagues, and professionals in the aim of preventing exhaustion and facilitate work participation among employees with hearing impairments. Joint action in facilitating communicative participation would share the responsibility for accommodation measures and broaden the room for manoeuver at the workplace. ä IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Fatigue prevention in employees with hearing loss needs to be addressed in occupational rehabilitation. Knowledge transfer on hearing loss implications needs to be included in aural rehabilitation. Occupational rehabilitation professionals and professionals targeting hearing impairments should enter into systematic, multidisciplinary follow-up at the worksite.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Working life trajectories with hearing impairment

Jensen

Rise

2018

Disability and Rehabilitation

Self Cite

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“…Employees with mild to moderate hearing loss were found to use more energy in noise typical to open plan offices than their normal-hearing peers [30]. Moreover, moderate hearing loss was negatively associated with workability and fatigue in a crosssectional study in Norway [10]. Compared to mild hearing loss, moderate hearing loss was associated with an increased risk of a high fatigue score, high hearing disability score and a low workability score.…”

Section: Room For Improvementmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…High prevalence of fatigue or need for recovery after work in persons with hearing impairments has been established earlier [6,[8][9][10]. Hearing loss affects verbal communication with an impact on the ability to follow a conversation, particularly if unstructured and in background noise.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study showed that employees with hearing loss perceived accommodation such as telephone aids, coworker assistance, and electronic communication as important, and used them frequently to perform work tasks [14]. However, a recent cross-sectional study showed that 30.7% of employees with hearing impairment reported needs for accommodation, without receiving them [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Employees with hearing impairment. A qualitative study exploring managers’ experiences

Jensen

Rise

2019

Disability and Rehabilitation

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Purpose: Explore managers' experiences regarding employees with hearing impairments. Materials and methods: Individual interviews with ten managers having employees with hearing impairment. The interviews were analyzed using Systematic text condensation. Results: The managers felt great responsibility for their employees' functioning, but hearing loss issues were easily forgotten. They found access to information as imperative to secure workplace adjustments, and temporary needs, rather than permanent ones, were easily met. Despite their challenging nature, meetings were not accommodated to meet hearing loss needs. Support in accommodation processes at the workplace was not requested since minor adjustments were perceived as sufficient. Conclusion: The results show that there are barriers towards developing less strenuous working conditions for employees with hearing impairments. The implications of hearing loss should be recognized as risk factors for fatigue and treated accordingly. Appropriate services are necessary to support the stakeholders at the workplace and utilize the room for manoeuver in the accommodation process. Further studies should identify how such services can accommodate both the employees, and managers' needs. ä IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Hearing loss as a risk factor for fatigue needs to be addressed by rehabilitation professionals. Vocational rehabilitation professionals are needed to support employees with hearing loss and their employers in making adjustments at the work place. Occupational rehabilitation professionals and professionals targeting hearing impairments are both needed in the process.

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The relationship between hearing status, listening effort, and the need for recovery in employees of a manufacturing company

Hoek-Snieders

Laat

Dreschler

2023

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol

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Objective Hearing screening can be used to detect hearing loss, but its value for identifying employees with work functioning difficulties is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess the association between the hearing status measured with an occupational hearing-in-noise screening test, Listening Effort (LE), and Need For Recovery (NFR) in employees of a manufacturing company, and to examine whether these associations depend on the perceived noise level at the workplace. Methods Employees of coatings and paints manufacturing company were included. Their hearing status was assessed with an occupational hearing-in-noise screening test. An online survey was used to assess their LE, NFR, and the perceived noise level at the workplace. Responses from 143 employees were analyzed (mean age = 53 years) using hierarchical multiple regression analysis with the outcomes LE and NFR. Results Regression analysis—with adjustments for gender, age, educational level, health status, pace/amount of work, job variety, and work pleasure—revealed that hearing status was significantly associated with LE, but the interaction between hearing status and the perceived noise level was not. Hearing status nor the interaction between hearing status and the perceived noise level was significantly associated with NFR. Conclusion The results confirm that poorer hearing is associated with higher LE, but not with higher NFR. These associations were unrelated to the perceived noise level at the workplace. Therefore, the value of occupational hearing screening appears to be early identification of hearing loss in employees, but not identification of work functioning difficulties.

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Hearing loss and work participation: a cross-sectional study in Norway

Cited by 37 publications

References 38 publications

Working life trajectories with hearing impairment

Working life trajectories with hearing impairment

Employees with hearing impairment. A qualitative study exploring managers’ experiences

The relationship between hearing status, listening effort, and the need for recovery in employees of a manufacturing company

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