Impact of mild depressive symptoms on cochlear implantation

Hearing impaired patients suffer almost twice as often from affective symptoms as normal hearing subjects with a negative impact on quality of life. Auditory rehabilitation can improve quality of life. However, impact of mild depressive complaints on speech and cognitive outcome after cochlear implantation are not analyzed in detail so far.

54 bilaterally severe hearing impaired aged 66.38 (SD 9.05) underwent a comprehensive assessment including audiometric and neurocognitive testing as well as evaluation of depressive symptoms (GDS-15) and quality of life (NCIQ) prior and 24 months after cochlear implantation.

Mean GDS score significantly decreased from 2.65 (SD 2.6) to 1.96 (SD 2.19) (p=0.01) independently from gender and age (p≤0.25). A higher GDS-score negatively impacted on quality of life (QoL) before and after CI (p≤0.01) and an improvement was related to a better QoL in all subcategories of the NCIQ (p≤0.04). Minimizing affective symptoms was associated with a better monosyllabic speech perception in quiet at 65 dB as assessed by the Freiburger monosyllabic speech test 24 months after CI (p=0.04). Furthermore, neurocognitive functions were negatively influenced by a higher level of emotional symptoms. Patients with higher depressive symptoms scored worse in working memory assessed by the OSPAN (p=0.03) and in mental flexibility assessed by the TMT A (p=0.02) und B (p=0.01), whereas an improvement correlated to a better TMT B performance (p=0.03). 

Even mild affective symptoms have an influence on the outcome after cochlear implantation and should be taken into consideration in auditory rehabilitation.

Publication History

Article published online:
24 May 2022