Potential help-seeking barriers for working men from low decile areas.

Abstract

There is a growing area of research investigating the relationship between hearing impairment and deprivation, however this has not been investigated in New Zealand. This study seeks to see if there are barriers to seeking hearing services for men of a specific socioeconomic position in Christchurch. Twelve participants were recruited and semi-structured interviews were conducted using the Hearing Beliefs Questionnaire (Saunders G. H., Frederick, Silverman, & Papesh, 2013). Overall, participants thought they were susceptible to hearing impairment and were aware of how severe the consequences could be. Participants thought there were benefits of amplification for hearing impairment under certain conditions. All participants identified barriers to help-seeking for hearing services and amplification. Most participants identified cues that would help them seek help for hearing impairment and believed that they were capable of accessing the serviced if they wanted to.