Gitte Engelund
Researcher
Denmark
Main outcome
There is a significant improvement in user satisfaction and perceived hearing aid benefit in the positive focus group already after 2 weeks.
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Can focusing on positive listening experiences improve hearing aid outcomes?
Negativity bias is a psychological phenomenon where negative events are perceived as more significant than positive ones. In the context of hearing care, this means that hearing aid benefits can be overshadowed by difficult experiences which can negatively influence one’s hearing aid outcomes.
To explore this further, we conducted a line of studies investigating whether Positive Focus (PF), an intervention that asks hearing aid users to focus and reflect on positive listening experiences, can lead to improved hearing aid outcomes.
Findings
Our findings revealed that PF improved hearing aid benefit, satisfaction, and speech-in-noise abilities for experienced users within two weeks. In a longitudinal study with first-time hearing aid users, similar improvements were observed after two weeks, with benefits lasting up to six months, even if PF practices decreased after the initial few weeks.
This suggests that reflecting on positive listening experiences during the critical hearing aid onboarding period can have lasting effects. Overall, the PF studies highlight the importance of encouraging hearing aid users to focus on positive listening experiences to improve both short- and long-term outcomes.
Study 01 Three week trial / 21 experienced HA users
Study 01 Three week trial / 21 experienced HA users
Main outcome
There is a significant improvement in user satisfaction and perceived hearing aid benefit in the positive focus group already after 2 weeks.
Study 01 Three week trial / 21 experienced HA users
Main outcome
There is a significant improvement in user satisfaction and perceived hearing aid benefit in the positive focus group already after 2 weeks.
Researchers 06
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