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Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the study was to identify factors influencing quality of communication life of older adults in the community.
Methods
Participants in this study were 128 older adults who registered at the community welfare center. The data were collected from September to October 2015 by using audiometer and three self-administered questionnaires including Korean Evaluation Scale for Hearing Handicap, Korean-Perceived Stress Scale, and Quality of Communication Life Scale. Mean minimal threshold of both ears was defined as 40dB and above for hearing handicap in this study. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and hierarchical regression.
Results
According to the screening test result from audiometer measurement, 53.9% of the participants were found to have hearing impairment. The main factors influencing quality of communication life in older adults were subjective hearing handicap of social domain and perceived stress. They explained about 41% of quality of communication life.
Conclusion
This study identified that subjective hearing handicap on social domain and self perceived stress in older adults were more important factors for their quality of communication life compared to physical hearing loss. Nurses caring for older people should include strategies to increases communication skills and to decrease communication related stress.
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Table 1.
General Characteristics of Study Participants (N=128)
Table 2.
Degree of Subjective Hearing Handicap, Perceived Stress, and Quality of Communication Life of the Participants (N=128)
Table 3.
Subjective Hearing Handicap, Perceived Stress and Quality of Communication Life according to Characteristics of Participants (N=128)
Table 4.
Correlation among Subjective Hearing Handicap, Perceived Stress and Quality of Communication Life (N=128)
Table 5.
Influencing Factors on Quality of Communication Life (N=128)
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