Abstract
The present study assessed the psychological profile and daily activities of tinnitus patients by conducting an item analysis of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). The subjects comprised 239 tinnitus patients (men, 130; women, 109) who had completed the THI. We examined the percentage of patients who answered ‘yes’ or ‘sometimes’ for all items. We also grouped the patients into three categories (mild, moderate and severe handicap) according to their total THI scores and investigated the percentage of patients who responded ‘yes’ or ‘sometimes’ in each category. Our results showed that most tinnitus patients felt anxious and irritable. Patients with mild handicaps sometimes had difficulty sleeping or concentrating. Patients with moderate handicaps felt depressed and fatigued and could not enjoy life. Patients with severe handicaps were even more depressed and could not maintain good relationships with the members of their family and friends. In other words, tinnitus can generate a disability at a personal level that ultimately produces a handicap at a social level. From these results, we concluded that the THI may be useful for evaluating the psychological profiles and daily activities of tinnitus patients and to determine candidates for treatment.
