Audiological and psychological profiles of children with tinnitus

<b>Purpose:</b> The objective of the study was to gauge the audiological and psychological profiles of children with tinnitus. <b>Method:</b> We recruited 25 paediatric patients (aged less than 18 years) reporting tinnitus who voluntarily came to our clinic in 2017. The children and their parents underwent a structured interview as part of a consultation in the Tinnitus Department. Otolaryngological examination and tonal and impedance audiometry were performed. Children filled in a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) on loudness, annoyance, and how well they were coping with their tinnitus. Additionally, we used the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Revised Children Anxiety and Depression Scale (Parent Version) to look for possible depressive and anxiety disorders, and the EAS Temperament Survey to assess the temperament of the children. <b>Results:</b> The group consisted of 25 children (16 girls and 9 boys) aged from 6 to 16 years. Most of the children had normal hearing. Tinnitus had a significant daily impact on sleeping, studying, and leisure. The VAS scale results revealed that younger children, 6 to 10 years old, found tinnitus more troublesome than older children (11 to 16 years). No child with tinnitus showed any severe symptoms of depression or anxiety. All showed average levels of temperamental traits, close to normative values. <b>Conclusion:</b> When diagnosing tinnitus in children it is important to recognize that tinnitus affects children differently to adults. Whether children with tinnitus require specific intervention remains a difficult question to answer. Hence, there is an urgent need to devise a questionnaire that can assess the impact of tinnitus on children’s quality of life.

<b>研究目的：</b> 本研究旨在评估耳鸣（tinnitus）儿童的听力学与心理学特征。<b>研究方法：</b> 本研究于2017年招募了25名自愿前来本诊所就诊的耳鸣儿科患者（年龄小于18岁）。在耳鸣科就诊期间，患儿及其家长接受了结构化访谈。研究人员对受试者进行了耳鼻喉科检查以及纯音测听及声导抗测听（tonal and impedance audiometry）。患儿填写了针对耳鸣响度、烦恼程度及应对情况的视觉模拟评分法（Visual Analogue Scale, VAS）量表。此外，本研究采用儿童焦虑抑郁评定量表修订版（Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale）及其家长版，筛查受试者可能存在的抑郁与焦虑障碍；同时使用EAS气质问卷（EAS Temperament Survey）评估患儿的气质特征。<b>研究结果：</b> 本研究共纳入25名儿童，其中女童16名、男童9名，年龄范围为6至16岁。大多数患儿听力正常。耳鸣对受试者的日常睡眠、学习及休闲活动均产生了显著影响。视觉模拟评分法结果显示，6至10岁的低龄患儿比11至16岁的大龄患儿更易受耳鸣困扰。所有受试儿童均未表现出严重的抑郁或焦虑症状，其气质特质的平均水平均接近常模数值。<b>研究结论：</b> 在对儿童耳鸣进行诊断时，需意识到耳鸣对儿童与成人的影响存在差异。目前仍难以明确耳鸣儿童是否需要接受针对性干预。因此，亟需开发可用于评估耳鸣对儿童生活质量影响的专用问卷。