Abstract
Objective: Tinnitus is one of the most common somatic symptoms to affect humanity. Prevalence rates in adult populations range from 8.2 to 20.1%. Our aim was to understand the beliefs and interpretations of tinnitus and the experience of living with it.
Design: An in depth grounded theory interview study. Grounded theory is an inductive approach to developing theory.
Sample: Thirteen contrasting people with tinnitus who had sought help from clinical services in England.
Results: We identified that the thinking patterns that people held around their tinnitus impacted how they experienced it. A core category emerged from the data, “sense making”. Around “sense making” eight other themes operated. Results are discussed in relation to the literature on tinnitus acceptance and beliefs.
Conclusions: The aim of interventions is to foster understanding and enhance perceptions of control, which may minimise the emotional impact of tinnitus and reduce the perceived severity of consequences.
Design: An in depth grounded theory interview study. Grounded theory is an inductive approach to developing theory.
Sample: Thirteen contrasting people with tinnitus who had sought help from clinical services in England.
Results: We identified that the thinking patterns that people held around their tinnitus impacted how they experienced it. A core category emerged from the data, “sense making”. Around “sense making” eight other themes operated. Results are discussed in relation to the literature on tinnitus acceptance and beliefs.
Conclusions: The aim of interventions is to foster understanding and enhance perceptions of control, which may minimise the emotional impact of tinnitus and reduce the perceived severity of consequences.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 801-808 |
Journal | International Journal of Audiology |
Volume | 57 |
Issue number | 11 |
Early online date | 8 Oct 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 8 Oct 2018 |