Hearing loss affects more than 50 million Americans, yet its emotional toll is not fully understood—especially when it comes to anger.
“Healthy hearing is a cornerstone of healthy aging. Supporting hearing health helps people stay connected, regulate emotions, and maintain better overall health as they grow older.” said Jessie West, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences.
To see how anger is expressed among those with hearing loss, West and colleagues used the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal panel study that surveys older adults in America, and an anger expression inventory. Through this, they were able to see if participants were more likely to internalize or externalize their anger. Results are published in the American Journal of Audiology.
“Anger can take different shapes. Some people turn it inward, becoming more withdrawn or feeling irritated beneath the surface. This is called internalized anger.” West said, “Other people are more likely to exhibit externalized anger, in which they express anger outward through visible frustration or sharper tempers.”
Overall, the study found that worse hearing was associated with significantly greater levels of anger – both internalized and externalized. Both men and women had similar levels of internalized anger, but men reported higher levels of externalized anger than women.
“Frustration and anger are pretty common sentiments among people with hearing loss,” West said, “and this really points to the need to screen for anger in patients with hearing loss.”
Anger is associated with negative physical health outcomes including elevated blood pressure, cardiovascular disease events, and stroke. West asserts that if clinicians can intervene on anger, they may also be able to help with downstream health consequences for people with hearing loss.
This may include counseling strategies to help patients develop coping mechanisms to manage their anger or peer support groups to learn from others facing similar challenges. “Healthcare providers can educate patients on effective communication strategies to reduce frustration and anger,” West said, “which can include the use of clear speech techniques, assistive listening devices, or speech-to-text applications.”
Co-authors on this study include Hannah R. Crowder, MD, MPH and Rong Jiang, PhD in Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences and Matthew E. Dupre, PhD in Population Health Sciences.