The Relationship between Degree of Hearing Loss and Geriatric Depression Scale Scores in Geriatric Patients

Backgrounds: Hearing loss occurs in a third of the elderly population worldwide but is often overlooked. Studies have shown that hearing loss increases the risk of depression in the elderly population and reduces the quality of life. Objective: The objective of this study is to prove the relationship between hearing loss and depression in geriatrics and to assess the effect of physical illness in geriatric patients that may cause depression. Methods: This type of research is observational-analytic with a cross-sectional approach. The study was conducted at the geriatrics polyclinic, Dr. Soetomo Hospital. Results: There are 47 participants in this study who are outpatients of the geriatrics polyclinic that carried out by consecutive sampling. Data are retrieved from medical records and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) questionnaire interviews. The effect of physical illness was assessed as a confounding variable in this study. Data analysis used multiple linear regression, one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and Spearman correlation test. Conclusion: This research found hearing loss in most geriatric patients, but the prevalence of depression in the study participants was low. The degree of hearing loss was not related to the GDS questionnaire score. Diabetes is a confounding factor in the onset of depression in study participants.