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In research on the psychological development of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, there is a wealth of studies focused on aspects such as speech and language, communication, and social-emotional development, but some other spheres have been disregarded. This study looks more generally at the developmental outcomes of DHH children who use cochlear implants (CIs). The participants were one group of DHH children 3 and 4 years old who used a CI and another age-matched control group with normal hearing and typical development (the TD group). The "Psychomotor Development Evaluation Cards" were used to evaluate the groups. Additionally, information about deafness, the CI, and health of the child and mother was obtained from medical records. For 3-year-olds, DHH children had lower scores than TD children in motor development, communication and speech, behavioural development, and knowledge and learning. However, 4-year-old DHH children had lower scores than TD children only in the social-emotional domain. In the 4-year-olds, positive correlations were also found between speech and communication development and knowledge and learning. Our results show that it is essential to offer early holistic support to DHH children who use a CI in terms of their global development, including social-emotional development.

Objectives: This study aims to measure, at two time points, the relationship between self-perceived global stress and the personality traits of the mothers of children who have central auditory processing disorder (APD) and compare it with the results from mothers of typically developing (TD) children. The comparisons were made before the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as late in the pandemic. Methods: The level of stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), while the Short Big Five Markers (IPIP-BFM-20) were used to assess Big Five personality traits. The study used two independent samples: one evaluated before the COVID-19 pandemic and the other late in the pandemic. Each sample consisted of 108 mothers of children with APD and 79 mothers whose children did not have APD (TD children) as controls. Results: The average global stress levels were similar in mothers of children with APD and in mothers of TD children, both before and in the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the late stage, both sets of mothers scored similarly on all personality dimensions, but significantly, mothers of TD children exhibited lower emotional stability compared to during the pre-pandemic period. In both groups, emotional stability predicted global stress level at both time points; however, during the pandemic, conscientiousness also became a predictor of global stress level but only in the group of mothers of TD children. Conclusions: Mothers of APD children might be more resistant to additional stressors. It would be prudent to watch mothers of APD and TD children for signs of needing psychological intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the magnitude of the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) estimated by the reduction in tone-burst evoked otoacoustic emissions (TBOAEs) measured at three levels and at three frequencies in response to fixed contralateral white noise. Results were compared with commonly used click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs). TBOAEs and CEOAEs, with and without contralateral 60 dB SPL white noise, were measured in response to stimulation at 55, 65, and 75 dB peSPL. In each subject, the set of measurements was performed twice. Of particular interest were the MOCR and its repeatability. 15 normally hearing persons (13 women, average age 32.3 years, SD = 8.1). For both CEOAE and TBOAEs, the reliability of the MOCR was much better for broadband measurements than for half-octave-band filtered estimates. At the same time, the reliability of MOCR in half-octave bands was higher for TBOAEs than for CEOAEs, especially at 2 and 4 kHz. For general applications where broadband MOCR is of interest, the highest magnitude and reliability is provided by CEOAEs. However, TBOAEs may be better if a particular frequency band is of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this interventional non-randomised prospective controlled study was to assess the effectiveness of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) in human subjects with tinnitus. The ParasymTM tVNS device was paired with an auditory stimulation. Treatment and observations were conducted over 12 weeks. Audiological evaluation was performed. Responses from a set of questionnaires and quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) before and after treatment were collected. Voice measurements were done to assess possible side-effects of tVNS. The study involved 29 adults who had chronic tinnitus (15 patients who underwent tVNS paired with sounds and a control group of 14 patients who did not). In general, subjective and objective measurements of tinnitus showed no improvement in the study group compared to the controls, although certain parameters as gauged by the questionnaires did statistically improve. The loudness and frequency of tinnitus remained the same in both groups. For the qEEG, activity in the theta band increased significantly in the study group compared to the control group. The tVNS was not effective in reducing tinnitus symptoms in our study group. However, changes in the theta band suggest there might be cortical effects that might, with sustained treatment, lead to improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study looked at the possible effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals who came to our clinic seeking relief from tinnitus. The performance of the subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic was compared with similar individuals who came to our clinic before the pandemic began. The study involved 50 adults with chronic tinnitus, made up of a study group (24 subjects tested during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021) and a control group before the pandemic began (26 subjects tested from 2013 to 2017). None of the 24 reported having contracted COVID-19. Data collection involved the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire, audiological tests, and quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). In terms of THI scores, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. However, with regard to qEEG, some changes were observed, with significant decreases in alpha and beta band activity in the study group compared to the control group, particularly over the auditory cortex. We conclude that COVID-19 did not have a discernible impact on the general well-being of individuals with tinnitus. However, it did appear to alter brain activity, specifically in the alpha and beta bands over the auditory cortex, and these reults warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-help (without specialist support) can play an important role in tinnitus therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate what fraction of subjects with tinnitus use self-help, what techniques are most commonly used to reduce tinnitus severity, and what distinguishes patients that use self-help from others. retrospective, observational study Adult patients admitted to our hospital clinic (460 participants) aged 19–83 years and reporting chronic tinnitus. The survey concerned therapy attempts prior to the clinic visit as well as self-help techniques chosen freely by the patient to reduce tinnitus severity. Data showed that 40.9% of the respondents chose some action themselves to reduce their tinnitus severity. Among the reported self-help techniques, acoustic stimulation was the most popular. In addition, patients chose distraction attention, relaxation, meditation, yoga, and physical activity. The likelihood of undertaking self-help increases with better education and higher tinnitus severity. Knowledge about patients' preferences of forms of self-help may help the health practitioner suggest a more suitable form of therapy. Due to the great interest in using sound therapy in tinnitus, it would be worthwhile looking at new forms of this therapy, for example increasingly popular mobile applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to determine the reliability in children of the medial olivocochlear reflex when measured as decibels of suppression of transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) by contralateral acoustic stimulation (CAS). TEOAEs with and without CAS (white noise) were measured. In each subject, measurements were performed twice. Of particular interest was the suppression of TEOAEs by CAS and its reliability. Reliability was evaluated by calculating the standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimum detectable change (MDC). Fifty-one normally hearing girls aged 3–6 years. The average global TEOAE suppression was around 0.6 dB. The highest reliability was for global values, with SEM of 0.2 dB and MDC of ±0.55 dB for the standard 2.5–20 ms recording window and slightly higher values for an 8–18 ms window. The worst reliability in the studied group was for the 1 kHz half-octave frequency band. Additionally, ears without spontaneous otoacoustic emissions had higher suppression levels than those with, but they also had lower signal-to-noise ratios, which may limit their clinical utility. The current study shows that, under the studied paradigm, TEOAE suppression does not have satisfactory reliability since MDC was similar to the level of suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]