Impact of hearing loss on cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults: serial mediation of self-rated health and depressive anxiety symptoms

Fenghui Chen; Yingying Chen; Xin Jiang; Xiaoyang Li; Hongting Ning; Mingyue Hu; Wenxin Jiang; Nan Zhang; Hui Feng; Ping Yan

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2023.1297622

Impact of hearing loss on cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults: serial mediation of self-rated health and depressive anxiety symptoms

Front Aging Neurosci. 2023 Dec 14:15:1297622. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1297622. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Fenghui Chen^#^{1

2}, Yingying Chen^#², Xin Jiang², Xiaoyang Li¹, Hongting Ning¹, Mingyue Hu¹, Wenxin Jiang², Nan Zhang², Hui Feng¹, Ping Yan²

Affiliations

¹ Xiangya Nursing School, Central South University, Changsha, China.
² Nursing School, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Hearing loss can exacerbate cognitive decline; therefore, exploring the mechanisms through which hearing loss affects cognitive function is crucial. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of hearing loss on cognitive function and the mediating role played by self-rated health and depressive anxiety symptoms.

Methods: Using stratified whole-group random sampling, the study employed a cross-sectional design and included 624 participants aged ≥65 years from three communities in Urumqi, China. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination. Hearing function and self-rated health were determined by self-report. The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale were used to assess depressive anxiety symptoms. Serial mediation analysis was performed using AMOS 26.0.

Results: Hearing loss can not only negatively affect cognitive function in older adults directly (direct effect = -0.106; SE = 0.045; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.201 to -0.016), but also indirectly affect the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive function through self-rated health and depressive anxiety symptoms. The results of the serial mediation analysis showed that the total indirect effect of self-rated health and depressive anxiety symptoms was -0.115 (95% CI: -0.168 to -0.070), and the total effect of the model was -0.221 (95% CI: -0.307 to -0.132), with the total indirect effect accounting for 52.04% of the total effect of the model.

Conclusion: Our study discovered that there is a partial mediation of the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive function by self-rated health and depressive anxiety symptoms. It is suggested that by enhancing self-rated health and ensuring good mental health, the decline in cognitive function among older adults with hearing loss can be delayed.

Keywords: anxiety; cognitive function; depression; hearing loss; self-rated health.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China [Grant No. 2020YFC2008603], the Science and Technology Aid to Xinjiang Project [Grant No. 2022E02119], and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College students in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region [Grant No. S202210760071].