Hearing impairment and psychosis revisited

Thewissen, Viviane; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Bentall, Richard; de Graaf, Ron; Vollebergh, Wilma; van Os, Jim

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2004.10.013

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Volume 76, Issue 1 , Pages 99-103, 1 July 2005

Hearing impairment and psychosis revisited

Viviane Thewissen
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, (DRT 10), 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Section Social Cognition, Mondriaan Zorggroep, Heerlen, The Netherlands
Inez Myin-Germeys
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, (DRT 10), 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Section Social Cognition, Mondriaan Zorggroep, Heerlen, The Netherlands
Richard Bentall
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK
Ron de Graaf
- The Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Trimbos Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Wilma Vollebergh
- The Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Trimbos Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Jim van Os
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, (DRT 10), 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Section Social Cognition, Mondriaan Zorggroep, Heerlen, The Netherlands
- Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK
- Corresponding author. Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, (DRT 10), 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 43 3875443; fax: +31 43 3875444.

Received 21 June 2004; received in revised form 28 October 2004; accepted 30 October 2004.

Abstract

The previously reported but still poorly investigated link between deafness or hearing impairment (DHI) and the onset of positive psychotic experiences was investigated prospectively in a general population sample. Of the 109 DHI subjects at baseline, 11 (10.1%) displayed psychotic experiences at T₂ versus 137 (2.9%) of the non-DHI subjects (OR=3.8, 95% CI: 2.0, 7.2). This effect size was only slightly attenuated after adjustment for baseline psychotic experiences (OR=3.2, 95% CI: 1.6, 6.5) and after adjustment for T₀ psychotic experiences and a range of other confounders (OR=3.0, 95% CI: 1.4, 6.2) These results confirm previous findings of an association between hearing impairments and psychosis and show that this association can also be found prospectively in a nonclinical population.

Keywords: Hearing impairment, General population, Psychosis, Risk factor