Studying the degree of stress in tinnitus and its associations

The study was carried out by enrolling 531 patients with tinnitus in Germany (mean age = 49 years). Tinnitus-related distress was determined using the German version of the tinnitus questionnaire (TQ). Alongside this assessment, various questionnaires and scales were used to determine general distress and discomfort in patients, including the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), General Depression Scale (ADS), Berlin Mood Questionnaire (BSF), and the SF-8 health survey.

In their results, the authors sum up by saying that a clear association was found between physical and psychological symptoms and tinnitus distress (TQ), particularly in correlations with the TQ subscales “hearing problems” and “somatic symptoms,” and to some extent with “emotional stress.” In addition, quality of life and tinnitus distress were negatively correlated. The TQ total score correlated significantly with perceived stress and depressive mood.

The authors conclude that the strong correlation between tinnitus perception and depression and negative mood is evidence of a connection between acoustic perception and the regulation of emotions. They think this may implicate specific regions of the brain and possibly suggest something about their coordination. In conclusion, the authors call for further studies on how different processing mechanisms interact to produce the complex symptoms of tinnitus.

Source: Brüggemann P, et al. Impact of Multiple Factors on the Degree of Tinnitus Distress. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2016 Jun 29;10:341.