Chronic Tinnitus and the Positive Effects of Sound Treatment via a Smartphone App: Mixed-Design Study
BackgroundTinnitus is a phantom auditory sensation in the absence of an external stimulus. It is accompanied by a broad range of negative emotional symptoms and a significantly lower quality of life. So far, there is no cure for tinnitus, although various treatment options ha...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2022-04-01
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| Series: | JMIR mHealth and uHealth |
| Online Access: | https://mhealth.jmir.org/2022/4/e33543 |
| _version_ | 1797735132101083136 |
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| author | Justyna Jolanta Kutyba W Wiktor Jędrzejczak Elżbieta Gos Danuta Raj-Koziak Piotr Henryk Skarzynski |
| author_facet | Justyna Jolanta Kutyba W Wiktor Jędrzejczak Elżbieta Gos Danuta Raj-Koziak Piotr Henryk Skarzynski |
| author_sort | Justyna Jolanta Kutyba |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundTinnitus is a phantom auditory sensation in the absence of an external stimulus. It is accompanied by a broad range of negative emotional symptoms and a significantly lower quality of life. So far, there is no cure for tinnitus, although various treatment options have been tried. One of them is mobile technology employing dedicated apps based on sound therapy. The apps can be managed by the patient and tailored according to their needs.
ObjectiveThe study aims to assess the effect of a mobile app that generates background sounds on the severity of tinnitus.
MethodsThe study involved 68 adults who had chronic tinnitus. Participants were divided into a study group (44 patients) and a control group (24 patients). For 6 months those in the study group used a free mobile app that enriched the sound environment with a background sound. Participants were instructed to use the app for at least 30 minutes a day using their preferred sound. The participants in the control group did not use the app. Subjective changes in the day-to-day functioning of both groups were evaluated using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire, a visual analog scale, and a user survey.
ResultsAfter 3 months of using the app, the THI global score significantly decreased (P<.001) in the study group, decreasing again at 6 months (P<.001). The largest improvements were observed in the emotional and catastrophic reactions subscales. A clinically important change in the THI was reported by 39% of the study group (17/44). Almost 90% of the study participants (39/44) chose environmental sounds to listen to, the most popular being rain and ocean waves. In the control group, tinnitus severity did not change over 3 or 6 months.
ConclusionsAlthough the participants still experienced limitations caused by tinnitus, the advantage of the app was that it led to lower negative emotions and thus reduced overall tinnitus severity. It is worth considering whether a mobile app might be incorporated into the management of tinnitus in a professional setting. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:54:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6d5c2c4f3bd94249bb529578bee602cc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2291-5222 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:54:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR mHealth and uHealth |
| spelling | doaj.art-6d5c2c4f3bd94249bb529578bee602cc2023-08-28T21:28:02ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR mHealth and uHealth2291-52222022-04-01104e3354310.2196/33543Chronic Tinnitus and the Positive Effects of Sound Treatment via a Smartphone App: Mixed-Design StudyJustyna Jolanta Kutybahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7828-3712W Wiktor Jędrzejczakhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8404-0672Elżbieta Goshttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3173-3867Danuta Raj-Koziakhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4067-6043Piotr Henryk Skarzynskihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4978-1915 BackgroundTinnitus is a phantom auditory sensation in the absence of an external stimulus. It is accompanied by a broad range of negative emotional symptoms and a significantly lower quality of life. So far, there is no cure for tinnitus, although various treatment options have been tried. One of them is mobile technology employing dedicated apps based on sound therapy. The apps can be managed by the patient and tailored according to their needs. ObjectiveThe study aims to assess the effect of a mobile app that generates background sounds on the severity of tinnitus. MethodsThe study involved 68 adults who had chronic tinnitus. Participants were divided into a study group (44 patients) and a control group (24 patients). For 6 months those in the study group used a free mobile app that enriched the sound environment with a background sound. Participants were instructed to use the app for at least 30 minutes a day using their preferred sound. The participants in the control group did not use the app. Subjective changes in the day-to-day functioning of both groups were evaluated using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire, a visual analog scale, and a user survey. ResultsAfter 3 months of using the app, the THI global score significantly decreased (P<.001) in the study group, decreasing again at 6 months (P<.001). The largest improvements were observed in the emotional and catastrophic reactions subscales. A clinically important change in the THI was reported by 39% of the study group (17/44). Almost 90% of the study participants (39/44) chose environmental sounds to listen to, the most popular being rain and ocean waves. In the control group, tinnitus severity did not change over 3 or 6 months. ConclusionsAlthough the participants still experienced limitations caused by tinnitus, the advantage of the app was that it led to lower negative emotions and thus reduced overall tinnitus severity. It is worth considering whether a mobile app might be incorporated into the management of tinnitus in a professional setting.https://mhealth.jmir.org/2022/4/e33543 |
| spellingShingle | Justyna Jolanta Kutyba W Wiktor Jędrzejczak Elżbieta Gos Danuta Raj-Koziak Piotr Henryk Skarzynski Chronic Tinnitus and the Positive Effects of Sound Treatment via a Smartphone App: Mixed-Design Study JMIR mHealth and uHealth |
| title | Chronic Tinnitus and the Positive Effects of Sound Treatment via a Smartphone App: Mixed-Design Study |
| title_full | Chronic Tinnitus and the Positive Effects of Sound Treatment via a Smartphone App: Mixed-Design Study |
| title_fullStr | Chronic Tinnitus and the Positive Effects of Sound Treatment via a Smartphone App: Mixed-Design Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chronic Tinnitus and the Positive Effects of Sound Treatment via a Smartphone App: Mixed-Design Study |
| title_short | Chronic Tinnitus and the Positive Effects of Sound Treatment via a Smartphone App: Mixed-Design Study |
| title_sort | chronic tinnitus and the positive effects of sound treatment via a smartphone app mixed design study |
| url | https://mhealth.jmir.org/2022/4/e33543 |
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