Development of a hearing aid self-efficacy questionnaire

TLDR

Low hearing‑aid self‑efficacy, stemming from various factors that lead to discontinued use, is a key barrier to successful hearing‑aid adoption. This study aims to develop the Measure of Audiologic Rehabilitation Self‑Efficacy for Hearing Aids (MARS‑HA) following established self‑efficacy questionnaire guidelines. The authors evaluated MARS‑HA’s psychometric properties in new and experienced hearing‑aid users, assessing internal consistency, test‑retest reliability, and construct validity via group comparisons, training effects, and feature impact. MARS‑HA demonstrated strong internal consistency, good test‑retest reliability, and distinct subscales for basic handling, advanced handling, adjustment, and aided listening, confirming its reliability and validity for identifying low‑confidence areas needing audiologic training.

Abstract

Discontinued hearing-aid use is caused by a number of factors, most of which may lead to low hearing-aid self-efficacy (i.e. low confidence in one's ability to B a successful hearing-aid user). This paper describes the development of the Measure of Audiologic Rehabilitation Self-Efficacy for Hearing Aids (MARS-HA), which was constructed in accordance with published recommendations for self-efficacy questionnaire development. The psychometric properties of the MARS-HA were evaluated with new and experienced hearing-aid users. The results revealed strong internal consistency and good test-retest reliability in both groups, with the following subscales identified both for the new users and the experienced users: (1) basic handling, (2) advanced handling, (3) adjustment to hearing aids, and (4) aided listening skills. Validity was established through the examination of expected differences based on group comparisons, training effects, and the impact of particular hearing aid features. The MARS-HA is a reliable and valid measure of hearing-aid self-efficacy and can be used to assist clinicians in identifying areas of low confidence that require additional audiologic training.