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KMID : 0361020230660040226
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Korean Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
2023 Volume.66 No. 4 p.226 ~ p.233
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Influence of Wearing a Face Mask on Subjective Communication Difficulties According to Hearing Level
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Lee Hyeon-A
Lee Song-Jae
Lee Seung-Hwan
Chung Jae-Ho
Byun Ha-Young
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Abstract
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Background and Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the effect of wearing facemasks on communication according to hearing levels using a questionnaire.
Subjects and Method Individuals who underwent pure-tone audiometry at the otolaryngol-ogy department were invited to participate from September to December 2021. Each partici-pant was asked to answer a questionnaire consisting of visual analog scales and open-endedquestions about the experience of interactions involving face masks and the impact wearingface masks had on communication regarding listening, speaking and emotional exchange. Theitems of questionnaires were analyzed according to their hearing levels.
Results A total of 119 subjects completed the questionnaire. The mean age of the subjectsw a s 57.13 ±17.43 and the mean hearing threshold was 39.31±22.52 dB HL. Among them,15.1% wore hearing aids. Across subjects, from those with the normal hearing level to thosewith moderate hearing loss, the average scores for subjective listening and speaking difficultyduring conversation were significantly higher when individuals were wearing face masks thanwhen they were not ( p<0.001). There was no significant difference in scores when asked aboutdifficulty in exchanging emotion while wearing a mask.
Conclusion Wearing a face mask might have a negative impact particularly on listening andspeaking aspects of communication. There was no statistically significant difference in sub-jective difficulty scores according to hearing levels.
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KEYWORD
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Communication, COVID-19, Hearing loss, Personal protective equipment
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