The effects of occupational noise exposure and age (Shehabi et al., 2023)

Purpose: Many workers in developing countries are exposed to unsafe occupational noise due to inadequate health and safety practices. We tested the hypotheses that occupational noise exposure and aging affect speech-perception-in-noise (SPiN) thresholds, self-reported hearing ability, tinnitus presence, and hyperacusis severity among Palestinian workers.
Method: Palestinian workers (N = 251, aged 18–70 years) without diagnosed hearing or memory impairments completed online instruments including a noise exposure questionnaire; forward and backward digit span tests; hyperacusis questionnaire; the short-form Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ12); the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory; and a digits-in-noise (DIN) test. Hypotheses were tested via multiple linear and logistic regression models, including age and occupational noise exposure as predictors, and with sex, recreational noise exposure, cognitive ability, and academic attainment as covariates. Familywise error rate was controlled across all 16 comparisons using the Bonferroni–Holm method. Exploratory analyses evaluated effects on tinnitus handicap. A comprehensive study protocol was preregistered.
Results: Nonsignificant trends of poorer SPiN performance, poorer self-reported hearing ability, greater prevalence of tinnitus, greater tinnitus handicap, and greater severity of hyperacusis as a function of higher occupational noise exposure were observed. Greater hyperacusis severity was significantly predicted by higher occupational noise exposure. Aging was significantly associated with higher DIN thresholds and lower SSQ12 scores, but not with tinnitus presence, tinnitus handicap, or hyperacusis severity.
Conclusions: Workers in Palestine may suffer from auditory effects of occupational noise and aging despite no formal diagnosis. These findings highlight the importance of occupational noise monitoring and hearing-related health and safety practices in developing countries.
Supplemental Material S1. The findings of the original multiple regression models for all primary and secondary outcome measures treating both occupational noise exposure and age as continuous predictor variables.
Supplemental Material S2. Clinical and Demographic Questionnaire (Arabic)
Supplemental Material S3. Noise exposure questionnaire (Arabic)
Supplemental Material S4. SSQ12 Questionnaire (Arabic)
Supplemental Material S5. Tinnitus handicap inventory (Arabic)
Supplemental Material S6. Khalfa hyperacusis questionnaire (Arabic)
Supplemental Material S7. The distribution of occupational noise exposure scores across all study participants.
Shehabi, A. M., Prendergast, G., Guest, H., & Plack, C. J. (2023). Noise exposure in Palestinian workers without a diagnosis of hearing impairment: Relations to speech-perception-in-noise difficulties, tinnitus, and hyperacusis. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 66(3), 1085–1109. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00461

目的：发展中国家众多劳动者因健康与安全措施不力，暴露于不安全职业噪声之中。本研究旨在验证职业噪声暴露与年龄对噪声中语音感知阈限（SPiN）、自报听力能力、耳鸣发生情况及超敏症严重程度的影响。方法：251名（年龄介于18至70岁之间）未患有听力或记忆力障碍的巴勒斯坦劳动者完成了在线问卷，包括噪声暴露问卷；正背数字广度测试；超敏症问卷；简式语音、空间与听觉质量量表（SSQ12）；耳鸣困扰量表；以及噪声中数字测试（DIN）。通过多重线性与逻辑回归模型对假设进行验证，其中年龄和职业噪声暴露作为预测变量，性别、休闲噪声暴露、认知能力和学术成就作为协变量。使用Bonferroni-Holm方法控制所有16次比较的全家氏错误率。探索性分析评估了耳鸣困扰的影响。研究方案已进行预注册。结果：观察到随着职业噪声暴露的增加，噪声中语音感知阈限表现、自报听力能力、耳鸣发生率、耳鸣困扰程度及超敏症严重程度均呈非显著性下降趋势。超敏症严重程度与较高的职业噪声暴露显著相关。年龄与噪声中数字测试阈值升高和简式语音、空间与听觉质量量表得分降低显著相关，但与耳鸣发生、耳鸣困扰程度或超敏症严重程度无关。结论：尽管未进行正式诊断，巴勒斯坦的劳动者可能遭受职业噪声和年龄带来的听觉影响。这些发现凸显了在发展中国家进行职业噪声监测及听力相关健康与安全措施的重要性。补充材料S1：将职业噪声暴露和年龄作为连续预测变量的原始多重回归模型的所有主要和次要结果指标。补充材料S2：临床与人口统计问卷（阿拉伯语）。补充材料S3：噪声暴露问卷（阿拉伯语）。补充材料S4：SSQ12问卷（阿拉伯语）。补充材料S5：耳鸣困扰量表（阿拉伯语）。补充材料S6：Khalfa超敏症问卷（阿拉伯语）。补充材料S7：所有研究参与者的职业噪声暴露得分分布。作者：Shehabi, A. M.，Prendergast, G.，Guest, H.，& Plack, C. J.（2023）。巴勒斯坦无听力障碍诊断的劳动者噪声暴露：与噪声中语音感知困难、耳鸣和超敏症的关系。言语、语言与听力研究杂志，66(3)，1085–1109。https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00461