Does the Relationship Between Hearing Loss, Cognition, and Depressive Symptoms Differ by Multigenerational Home Environment?

Introduction: Hearing loss (HL) negatively impacts cognition and mental health. We examine if this relationship differs based on the presence of a multigenerational home environment.

Methods: Data were analyzed from wave 1 of the Hispanic Community Health Study–Study of Latinos for adults ≥18 years old. HL was measured with the 4-frequency pure tone average in the better ear. Multigenerational homes have ≥3 generations or a skipped generation ( < 18 and 60+). Cognition was measured with the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST, lower scores = worse). Depressive symptoms were measured with the CESD-10 (higher scores = worse). Multivariable regressions controlled for age, gender, education, and cardiovascular risk. A HL x home environment interaction term was used to study if the HL-cognition and HL-depressive symptom relationships differ by home environment.

Results: 6,902 individuals had complete data. The mean age was 55.2 years (SD=7.46 years) and 60.1% were female. HL was associated with worse cognition and depressive symptoms – for every 10dB worsening in one’s HL, the DSST decreased by 0.754 points (p < 0.001) and CESD-10 increased by 0.641 points (p < 0.001). Multigenerational home environment was associated with better cognition and depressive symptoms – for those living in a multigenerational home compared to those who do not, the DSST increased by 1.32 points (p=0.025) and CESD-10 decreased by 1.94 points (p < 0.001). The interaction terms for HL x home environment were not significant for DSST (p=0.759) or CESD-10 (p=0.321).

Conclusions: The interaction terms between HL x home environment were not significant, indicating no change in relationship between HL and either cognition or depressive symptoms based on home environment. This novel research area warrants further study in larger, more diverse populations.