Evaluation of listening and comprehension skills of individuals with cochlear implants and hearing aids by gender

Hearing loss is the loss of the ability to hear, one of our most important senses. There are different degrees of hearing loss, and these degrees are evaluated and cochlear implants, hearing aids and similar technological devices are produced and applied to restore hearing ability. With these devices, many studies are carried out on the auditory abilities and listening-comprehension skills of individuals with hearing loss. The purpose of this study is to start by comparing individuals with cochlear implants and individuals with hearing aids and to examine whether listening and comprehension skills are related primarily to age and gender, and then to variables such as device use experience, direction of device use, and cochlear implant brand. For this purpose, the listening and comprehension abilities of individuals with cochlear implants and hearing aids were evaluated with the Ears test battery. A total of 120 individuals, 60 with cochlear implants and 60 with hearing aids, were included in the study. As a result of the research, it was found that there was no significant difference between variables such as gender, age, direction of device use, and cochlear implant brand, while a significant difference was obtained regarding device use experience and duration. In line with this result, it is necessary to improve the auditory abilities of individuals with hearing loss by receiving equipment and training at an early age.