Pessimistic View on Aging Could Harm Hearing

FRIDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors who think hearing loss is just a part of growing old, along with other age-related stereotypes, may end up boosting their odds for poor hearing in their "golden years."

That''s the finding of a new study that suggests that a person''s negative stereotypes about the elderly can have real consequences for personal health as he or she ages.

The Yale University study included 546 people, aged 70 and older, who were interviewed about their attitudes toward the elderly. The participants had their hearing assessed at the start of the study, and again three years later.

As reported in the March issue of the Journals of Gerontology, people who had more negative stereotypes about the elderly -- that old age meant senility or being feeble, for example -- also performed worse on the hearing assessment conducted at the end of the three-year study.

Study first author Becca R. Levy said negative stereotypes about the elderly could lead older adults to be more accepting of hearing loss and, therefore, less likely to seek medical attention for the problem.

"This is the first study to demonstrate that older individuals'' age stereotypes can predict their sensory perception," Levy, an associate professor in the department of epidemiology and public health, said in a prepared statement.

"Although a wide array of biological factors have been identified that contribute to hearing decline, our team felt it was important to understand whether social psychological factors, such as the age stereotypes that individuals take in from their culture, may also influence hearing," she said.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about hearing loss.

-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: Yale University, news release, Feb. 28, 2006

Last Updated: March 10, 2006