Hyperacusis in children: a thematic analysis of discussions in online forums
Hyperacusis in children: a thematic analysis of discussions in online forums
Purpose: hyperacusis is commonly defined as reduced tolerance to everyday sounds leading to avoidance behavior and disrupting normal functioning. Hyperacusis is prevalent in children. However, the literature on the manifestation and impact of hyperacusis on children is scant. This qualitative study examined online discussion forums to understand the lived experiences of hyperacusis in children from a parent or carer perspective.
Methods: posts from publicly available online discussion forums were thematically analyzed. Online searching identified 219 potentially relevant conversation threads across 18 forums and involving 1,436 forum users. A total number of 170 eligible conversation threads, containing 1,834 messages, were used in the analysis.
Results: thematic analysis of the data generated six themes: personal and health information about the child, onset and prognosis, bothersome sounds and characteristics, reactions, coping strategies, and impact. Hyperacusis onset was associated with loud noise, physical trauma, or stress. Bothersome sounds were categorized in terms of appliances, vehicles, public places, nature, and very loud sounds. Children's reactions included panic, shaking, and screaming. Strategies to manage hyperacusis included ear defenders, building up tolerance, and school adaptations. Hyperacusis had an impact on various aspects of the child's life including academic performance and social development.
Conclusions: this is the first study to account for the lived experiences of children experiencing hyperacusis from a parent/carer perspective using online forum data. These findings expand on existing research on the manifestation of hyperacusis in children and provide a basis for further work improving clinical assessment and management.
Adaptation, Psychological, Child, Communication, Family, Humans, Hyperacusis, Qualitative Research
166-174
Potgieter, Iskra
baf09416-ba65-48e6-bb7a-b949f88ff22a
Hoare, Derek J.
69d0a4d9-8bd2-4b5e-ac32-605b13de8980
Fackrell, Kathryn
47992aeb-c6a0-44a2-b59c-8b53d7a70520
3 March 2022
Potgieter, Iskra
baf09416-ba65-48e6-bb7a-b949f88ff22a
Hoare, Derek J.
69d0a4d9-8bd2-4b5e-ac32-605b13de8980
Fackrell, Kathryn
47992aeb-c6a0-44a2-b59c-8b53d7a70520
Potgieter, Iskra, Hoare, Derek J. and Fackrell, Kathryn
(2022)
Hyperacusis in children: a thematic analysis of discussions in online forums.
American Journal of Audiology, 31 (1), .
(doi:10.1044/2021_AJA-21-00137).
Abstract
Purpose: hyperacusis is commonly defined as reduced tolerance to everyday sounds leading to avoidance behavior and disrupting normal functioning. Hyperacusis is prevalent in children. However, the literature on the manifestation and impact of hyperacusis on children is scant. This qualitative study examined online discussion forums to understand the lived experiences of hyperacusis in children from a parent or carer perspective.
Methods: posts from publicly available online discussion forums were thematically analyzed. Online searching identified 219 potentially relevant conversation threads across 18 forums and involving 1,436 forum users. A total number of 170 eligible conversation threads, containing 1,834 messages, were used in the analysis.
Results: thematic analysis of the data generated six themes: personal and health information about the child, onset and prognosis, bothersome sounds and characteristics, reactions, coping strategies, and impact. Hyperacusis onset was associated with loud noise, physical trauma, or stress. Bothersome sounds were categorized in terms of appliances, vehicles, public places, nature, and very loud sounds. Children's reactions included panic, shaking, and screaming. Strategies to manage hyperacusis included ear defenders, building up tolerance, and school adaptations. Hyperacusis had an impact on various aspects of the child's life including academic performance and social development.
Conclusions: this is the first study to account for the lived experiences of children experiencing hyperacusis from a parent/carer perspective using online forum data. These findings expand on existing research on the manifestation of hyperacusis in children and provide a basis for further work improving clinical assessment and management.
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 7 November 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 7 February 2022
Published date: 3 March 2022
Additional Information:
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Institute
for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre
programme, grant code: BRC-1215-20003. I. P. and D. J. H.
are funded by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre pro-
gramme. K. F. is funded by the National Institute for
Health Research (NIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship, PDF-
2018–11-ST2-003) and Wessex Institute, University of
Southampton (NIHR Southampton Coordinating Centre).
However, the views expressed in this publication are those
of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the
National Institute for Health Research, or the Department
of Health and Social Care.
Keywords:
Adaptation, Psychological, Child, Communication, Family, Humans, Hyperacusis, Qualitative Research
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 477126
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/477126
ISSN: 1059-0889
PURE UUID: cc5be268-5891-43d7-854d-a4900220a18e
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Date deposited: 30 May 2023 16:31
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 16:43
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Contributors
Author:
Iskra Potgieter
Author:
Derek J. Hoare
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