The Effects of Noise on Speech Intelligibility in Normal Hearing Workers Exposed to Noise in Professional Life

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 12 Sayı: 2, 329 - 341, 31.08.2025

Büşra Kaynakoğlu , Betül Çiçek Çınar , Didem Türkyılmaz

https://doi.org/10.21020/husbfd.1435195

Öz

Objectives: In individuals with prolonged background noise exposure and those with peripheral auditory problems, central auditory disorders and cognitive impairments are observed. This study aims to evaluate individuals with and without noise exposure via the Matrix test to reveal concrete indicators of noise effects that are not reflected in pure-tone audiometry results.
Material and Methods: The study included 40 participants between the ages of 22 and 45 with and without a history of noise-exposure divided into control and study groups (n = 20 per group). All participants were administered pure-tone audiometry with high-frequency, speech audiometry, tympanometry, and Matrix tests. The Matrix test performed adaptive measurements in the open-set response format; the participant verbally repeated all the words from a presented sentence.
Results: In the tests performed on the study and control groups, no significant difference was found between the two groups except for the Matrix test.
Conclusions and Significance: Although the audiological results of the individuals exposed to noise were considered normal, their speech discrimination ability in noise deteriorated. Even individuals with normal hearing thresholds in pure-tone audiometry could have trouble with speech discrimination in noisy everyday environments. While evaluating these individuals, testing speech discrimination in noise is critical to show problems in daily life.

Anahtar Kelimeler

speech audiometry , speech recognition in noise , noise exposure , matrix sentence test

Kaynakça

• Bellomo, T. R., Prasad, S., Abou-Hanna, J., Talluru, S., Xie, Y., Wang, L., . . . Neitzel, R. L. (2021). Characterization of noise exposure in places of worship. Applied Acoustics, 180, 108114. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2021.108114
• Carcagno, S., & Plack, C. J. (2020). Effects of age on electrophysiological measures of cochlear synaptopathy in humans. Hearing Research, 396, 108068. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2020.108068 ,
• DiNino, M., Holt, L. L., & Shinn-Cunningham, B. G. (2022). Cutting through the noise: noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy and individual differences in speech understanding among listeners with normal audiograms. Ear and Hearing, 43(1), 9-22. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001147
• Eggermont, J. J. (2017). Effects of long-term non-traumatic noise exposure on the adult central auditory system. Hearing problems without hearing loss. Hearing Research, 352, 12-22. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2016.10.015
• Fernandez, K. A., Jeffers, P. W., Lall, K., Liberman, M. C., & Kujawa, S. G. (2015). Aging after noise exposure: acceleration of cochlear synaptopathy in “recovered” ears. Journal of Neuroscience, 35(19), 7509-7520. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5138-14.2015
• Fulbright, A. N., Le Prell, C. G., Griffiths, S. K., & Lobarinas, E. (2017). Effects of recreational noise on threshold and suprathreshold measures of auditory function. Seminars in Hearing, 38(4), 298–318. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0037-1606325
• Grose, J. H., Buss, E., & Hall Iii, J. W. (2017). Loud music exposure and cochlear synaptopathy in young adults: Isolated auditory brainstem response effects but no perceptual consequences. Trends in Hearing, 21, 2331216517737417. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/2331216517737417
• Kollmeier, B., Warzybok, A., Hochmuth, S., Zokoll, M. A., Uslar, V., Brand, T., & Wagener, K. C. (2015). The multilingual matrix test: Principles, applications, and comparison across languages: A review. International Journal of Audiology, 54(sup2), 3-16. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3109/14992027.2015.1020971
• Krueger, M., Schulte, M., Zokoll, M. A., Wagener, K. C., Meis, M., Brand, T., & Holube, I. (2017). Relation between listening effort and speech intelligibility in noise. American Journal of Audiology, 26(3S), 378-392. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1044/2017_AJA-16-0136
• Kumar, U. A., Ameenudin, S., & Sangamanatha, A. (2012). Temporal and speech processing skills in normal hearing individuals exposed to occupational noise. Noise and Health, 14(58), 100. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4103/1463-1741.97252
• Liberman, M. C., Epstein, M. J., Cleveland, S. S., Wang, H., & Maison, S. F. (2016). Toward a differential diagnosis of hidden hearing loss in humans. PLoS One, 11(9), e0162726. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0162726
• Lucks Mendel, L., & Widner, H. (2016). Speech perception in noise for bilingual listeners with normal hearing. International Journal of Audiology, 55(2), 126-134. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3109/14992027.2015.1061710
• Moossavi, A., Mehrkian, S., Gohari, N., Nazari, M. A., Bakhshi, E., & Alain, C. (2021). The effect of harmonic training on speech perception in noise in hearing-impaired children. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 149, 110845. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2021.110845
• Moshammer, H., Kundi, M., Wallner, P., Herbst, A., Feuerstein, A., & Hutter, H.-P. (2015). Early prognosis of noise-induced hearing loss. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 72(2), 85-89. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2014-102200
• Pienkowski, M. (2017). On the etiology of listening difficulties in noise despite clinically normal audiograms. Ear and Hearing, 38(2), 135. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1097/aud.0000000000000388
• Pinsonnault-Skvarenina, A., Moïn-Darbari, K., Zhao, W., Zhang, M., & Qiu, W. (2022). No effect of occupational noise exposure on auditory brainstem response and speech perception in noise. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16, 915211. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.915211
• Plack, C. J., Barker, D., & Prendergast, G. (2014). Perceptual consequences of “hidden” hearing loss. Trends in Hearing, 18, 2331216514550621. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/2331216514550621
• Roup, C. M. (2011). Dichotic word recognition in noise and the right-ear advantage. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2010/09-0230)
• Rudner, M., Lunner, T., Behrens, T., Thorén, E. S., & Rönnberg, J. (2012). Working memory capacity may influence perceived effort during aided speech recognition in noise. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 23(08), 577-589. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3766/jaaa.23.7.7
• Sendesen, E., Colak, H., Korkut, Y., Yalcınkaya, E., & Sennaroglu, G. (2023). The right ear advantage–a perspective from speech perception in noise test. Hearing, Balance and Communication, 1-6. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/21695717.2023.2181562
• Shehabi, A. M., Prendergast, G., Guest, H., & Plack, C. J. (2022). The effect of lifetime noise exposure and aging on speech-perception-in-noise ability and self-reported hearing symptoms: An online study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 14, 890010. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.890010
• Shehabi, A. M., Prendergast, G., Guest, H., & Plack, C. J. (2023). Noise Exposure in Palestinian Workers Without a Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment: Relations to Speech-Perception-in-Noise Difficulties, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 66(3), 1085-1109. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00461
• Sliwinska-Kowalska, M. (2020). New trends in the prevention of occupational noise-induced hearing loss. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 33(6), 841-848. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01600
• Smith, S., Krizman, J., Liu, C., White-Schwoch, T., Nicol, T., & Kraus, N. (2019). Investigating peripheral sources of speech-in-noise variability in listeners with normal audiograms. Hearing Research, 371, 66-74. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2018.11.008
• Soalheiro, M., Rocha, L., do Vale, D. F., Fontes, V., Valente, D., & Teixeira, L. R. (2012). Speech recognition index of workers with tinnitus exposed to environmental or occupational noise: a comparative study. Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology, 7(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6673-7-26
• Tai, Y., & Husain, F. T. (2018). Right-ear advantage for speech-in-noise recognition in patients with nonlateralized tinnitus and normal hearing sensitivity. Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 19, 211-221. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-017-0647-3
• Vijayasarathy, S., Mohan, M., Nagalakshmi, P., & Barman, A. (2021). Speech perception in noise, gap detection and amplitude modulation detection in suspected hidden hearing loss. Hearing, Balance and Communication, 19(3), 203-211. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/21695717.2021.1876494
• Yeend, I., Beach, E. F., Sharma, M., & Dillon, H. (2017). The effects of noise exposure and musical training on suprathreshold auditory processing and speech perception in noise. Hearing Research, 353, 224-236. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2017.07.006