(0938) Hearing Loss Is Tiring: Examining Pediatric Listening Fatigue

Introduction: Listening fatigue is a common phenomenon amongst hearing-impaired children that can affect their school performance, energy levels, and quality of life. The recent development of a validated pediatric version of the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale (VFS) now allows for standardized evaluation of pediatric listening-related fatigue. In this study, we survey parents and children regarding listening-related fatigue and identify factors that may be associated with fatigue.

Methods: Pediatric patients (ages 7+) with hearing loss and their parents were administered the VFS, a parent proxy and child self-report survey. Self-reported fatigue scores and parent proxy mental and physical listening-related fatigue scores were calculated. Demographic, comorbidity, school, and device data were also collected. Responses were analyzed for factors that correlated with increased listening-related fatigue scores.

Results: Preliminary results included responses by 17 parents and 5 children. Children had a mean age of 14.8 yrs (SD 4.1). Race/ethnicity data demonstrated children were 47.1% Hispanic, 35.3% White, 11.8% Black, and 6% Asian. All subjects used at least one device: 41.2% bilateral CI, 35.3% bilateral HA or BiCROS, 11.8% unilateral CI and 11.8% unilateral HA. Of the 5 children, 1 reported a maximum fatigue score (40), while 4 scored within normal range ( < 27). Parent-proxy scores showed “relatively frequent” or “very common” issues in 29.4% (n = 5) of subjects for mental listening-related fatigue and 23.5% (n = 4) for physical listening-related fatigue. Of the subjects, 5 had a developmental delay, of which 4 and 3 had elevated mental and physical listening-related fatigue scores respectively, accounting for most of the patients with increased scores.

Conclusions: Nearly 30% of parents reported their children had increased listening-related physical and/or mental fatigue scores, most of whom (80%) also reported a developmental delay comorbidity. Identifying factors associated with listening fatigue can assist with the development of interventions to improve educational outcomes and quality of life.