{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,24]],"date-time":"2026-10-24T01:12:32Z","timestamp":1792804352499,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,12]],"date-time":"2024-12-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1733961600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Audiology Research"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Hearing loss is a highly prevalent condition in the world population that determines emotional, social, and economic costs. In recent years, it has been definitely recognized that the lack of physiological binaural hearing causes alterations in the localization of sounds and reduced speech recognition in noise and reverberation. This study aims to explore the psycho-social profile of adult workers affected by single-sided deafness (SSD), without other major medical conditions and otological symptoms, through comparison to subjects with normal hearing. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, case-control study. Subjects aged between 24 and 65 years, all currently employed and affected by SSD, were enrolled. They were administered both disease-specific and psychometric tests, such as the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults (HHIA), the Profile Questionnaire for Rating Communicative Performance, the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI), and the Social Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ). Results: A total of 149 subjects (mean age = 49.9; SD \u00b1 8.5) were enrolled in the period 2021\u20132023; 68 were males (45.6%), and 81 were females (54.4%). The normal hearing group was composed of 95 subjects, and the SSD sample was composed of 54 subjects. The results of our study show that the levels of psychological well-being and social functioning in subjects with SSD are statistically worse than in the group of subjects with normal hearing in most subscales. Conclusions: This study definitely outlined evidence for a significantly worse psychological health status and a poorer social attitude of working adults affected by SSD with respect to their normal-hearing counterparts. Understanding the impact of SSD on patients\u2019 work environment suggests a multidisciplinary approach to such patients in order to increase their quality of life through adequate counseling, acceptance, and role modeling.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/audiolres14060091","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,12]],"date-time":"2024-12-12T08:36:32Z","timestamp":1733992592000},"page":"1105-1113","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Psychological Distress and Social Adjustment of a Working Adult Population with Single-Sided Deafness"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0688-5770","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Enrico","family":"Apa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Audiology Unit, Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e di Comunit\u00e0, Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2023\u20132027, Fondazione IRCCS Ca\u2019 Granda, Policlinico of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Riccardo","family":"Nocini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorrhinolaryngology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynaecology and Paediatrics, University of Verona, Borgo Roma Hospital, 37134 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3455-2295","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Ciorba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology and Audiology Department, University Hospital, via Aldo Moro 8, Cona, 44124 Ferrara, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luca","family":"Sacchetto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorrhinolaryngology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynaecology and Paediatrics, University of Verona, Borgo Roma Hospital, 37134 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chiara","family":"Gherpelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology and Audiology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Modena, via del Pozzo 71, 41100 Modena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniele","family":"Monzani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorrhinolaryngology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynaecology and Paediatrics, University of Verona, Borgo Roma Hospital, 37134 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5521-4343","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silvia","family":"Palma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Audiology, Primary Care Department, AUSL of Modena, 41100 Modena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"348","DOI":"10.1097\/00003446-200108000-00009","article-title":"Impact of compression and hearing aid style on directional hearing aid benefit and performance","volume":"22","author":"Ricketts","year":"2001","journal-title":"Ear Hear."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"868","DOI":"10.1177\/0194599821995485","article-title":"Factors Associated with Unilateral Hearing Loss and Impact on Communication in US Adults","volume":"165","author":"Choi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Otolaryngol. 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