Abstract
Introduction
Hearing loss affects 12 million people in the UK, it can have a severe negative impact on individuals, especially their communication, cognition and quality of life. Commonly reported effects of hearing loss are social isolation and mental health problems (e.g. anxiety and depression). There are a number of interventions for hearing loss, including hearing aids and cochlear implants. However, many individuals delay seeking treatment. This may be due to limited awareness of hearing loss and its consequences amongst the public. In addition, there is a large stigma surrounding hearing loss and having hearing aids.
This study will investigate the representations of hearing loss in the UK news media, particularly its impact on mental health, and identify ways to improve these representations.
Methods
Using Nexis (a database of news), we will examine newspaper articles featuring hearing loss during 2022. Multimodal critical discourse analysis will be used, which regards communicative choices (here, images and text) as both reflecting and shaping society, including by contributing to or challenging stigma. Patient and public involvement representatives will be consulted throughout regarding research objectives methods and the data interpretation.
Results
Results suggest that hearing loss is often described using celebrity accounts, often these individuals were younger adults. Many articles included inspirational stories of those with hearing loss, however the PPI group recommended that newspaper stories should provide a diverse representation of hearing loss. Inaccurate and outdated language was used to describe hearing devices. Mental health problems commonly discussed were depression, social isolation and dementia.
Discussion
The research will inform best practice recommendations for representing hearing loss in the public domain, which could be applied by healthcare organisations, research centres, charities and media outlets to help destigmatise hearing loss.