Tinnitus Severity and the Relation to Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

ObjectiveIn this study, the authors investigated whether tinnitus severity is a problem related to depression. If so, the following 2 conditions should be fulfilled:first, there should be evidence for the presence of moderate to severe depressive symptomatology in a substantial group of tinnitus patients; second, there should be evidence of a substantial relationship between depressive symptoms and tinnitus severity.Study DesignCross‐sectional.SettingEar, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Department of the Ghent University Hospital.Subjects and MethodsIn total, 136 consecutive help‐seeking tinnitus patients were seen by a psychologist, an audiologist, and an ENT specialist. All patients filled in the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI‐II) and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and underwent psychoacoustic measurement.ResultsMean scores indicate the presence of no or minimal depressive symptoms. There was a positive correlation (P <. 01) between the BDI‐II and the THI. No correlations were found between psychoacoustic measures and the self‐report questionnaires. Linear regression analysis was performed to examine the predictive role of the 3 components of depression (cognitive, somatic, and affective) in tinnitus severity. Results show that only the somatic depression subscale of the BDI‐II significantly predicted tinnitus severity, which can be explained because of content overlap between the BDI‐II and the THI.ConclusionTinnitus does not appear to be a problem related to depression. The authors did not find a substantial group of tinnitus patients with moderate to severe depressive symptoms. The relation between depressive symptoms and tinnitus severity seems to be an artifact of content overlap between the BDI‐II and the THI.