Open AccessTinnitus Severity Is Reduced with Reduction of Depressive Mood – a Prospective Population Study in Sweden
Author(s) -
Sylvie Hébert,
Barbara Canlon,
Dan Hasson,
Linda L. Magnusson Hanson,
Hugo Westerlund,
Töres Theorell
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0037733
Subject(s) - tinnitus , medicine , depressive symptoms , mood , prospective cohort study , psychiatry , audiology , population , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , psychology , anxiety , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
Tinnitus, the perception of sound without external source, is a highly prevalent public health problem with about 8% of the population having frequently occurring tinnitus, and about 1–2% experiencing significant distress from it. Population studies, as well as studies on self-selected samples, have reported poor psychological well-being in individuals with tinnitus. However, no study has examined the long-term co-variation between mood and tinnitus prevalence or tinnitus severity. In this study, the relationship between depression and tinnitus prevalence and severity over a 2-year period was examined in a representative sample of the general Swedish working population. Results show that a decrease in depression is associated with a decrease in tinnitus prevalence, and even more markedly with tinnitus severity. Hearing loss was a more potent predictor than depression for tinnitus prevalence, but was a weaker predictor than depression for tinnitus severity. In addition, there were sex differences for tinnitus prevalence, but not for tinnitus severity. This study shows a direct and long-term association between tinnitus severity and depression.