Development of a Questionnaire to Assess Attitudes toward Hearing Aids

Many reasons have been postulated as to why persons with hearing loss are reluctant to engage in the hearing rehabilitation process. While not the only determinant, an individual’s attitudes toward hearing loss and hearing aids have been shown to affect adoption of amplification adversely and eventual outcomes of hearing aid use. Several attempts have been made to develop test instruments for attitudes toward hearing loss, but nothing specific to attitudes toward hearing aids or hearing aid technology. The primary objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire to assess attitudes toward hearing aids using the ABC model of attitude and consumer behavior. Eighteen items based on commonly reported feelings or emotions about hearing aids were identified. For each item two rating scales were assigned to reflect the affective and behavioral components. The survey was distributed through Qualtrics and was posted on the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) public chat room and the AARP online forum. Preliminary results from a small sample indicated strong internal consistency among the questionnaire items. Both Affective and Behavioral scales resulted in high Cronbach’s Alpha (0.924 and 0.854, respectively). Additionally, none of the items were found to alter the internal consistency if removed from the analysis. A large-scale dissemination effort is under way through the AARP and HLAA organizations