Stress coping strategies, problem avoidance, and social isolation in chronic tinnitus

Nazife Öztürk Özdeş; Beyza Asta; Zehra Aydoğan; Suna Tokgöz Yılmaz

doi:10.5606/kbbu.2026.49002

Nazife Öztürk Özdeş¹, Beyza Asta², Zehra Aydoğan³, Suna Tokgöz Yılmaz³

¹Department of Audiology and Speech Disorders, Institute of Health Sciences, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
²Department of Audiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye
³Department of Audiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye

Keywords: Coping with stress, problem avoidance, social isolation, social support, tinnitus.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to identify coping strategies for stress applied in individuals with chronic tinnitus and to examine the relationship between these strategies and social isolation.

Patients and Methods: Between January 2022 and April 2022, a total of 100 participants were enrolled and divided into two groups: the study group (SG) consisting of individuals with tinnitus, and the control group (CG) (25 males, 25 females; 44.50±10.76 years; range: 18 to 59 years) comprising healthy individuals with normal hearing. The SG was further subdivided based on hearing status into SG1, normal hearing (7 males, 6 females; 38.10±14.50 years; range: 18 to 62 years) and SG2, hearing loss (18 males, 19 females; mean age: 47.16±11.87 years; range, 23 to 64 years). Participants were administered the Coping with Stress Scale and the Social Isolation Scale, and comparative analyses were conducted between the two groups.

Results: The findings indicated that the overall coping with stress and problem-focused coping scores of tinnitus patients were significantly lower than those of the CG (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding social support strategies (p > 0.05). Additionally, it was found that the social isolation scores of tinnitus patients were higher, and that social isolation increased among individuals with hearing loss. The results revealed that the average stress coping scores for the study group (76.86±12.12) were markedly lower than those of the control group (82.66±9.30) (p = 0.009). Furthermore, problem-focused coping scores were significantly reduced in tinnitus patients (27.28±5.43) when compared to the control group (30.08±4.62) (p = 0.007). Nevertheless, no significant differences were noted between the two groups in terms of social support strategies (p = 0.310). Moreover, it was observed that the social isolation scores for tinnitus patients were significantly elevated compared to the control group (p = 0.001).

Conclusion: These findings emphasize the severity of the psychosocial effects of tinnitus and indicate the need for interventions that will enhance individuals' coping abilities. The study highlights the importance of social support-focused interventions in reducing social isolation among tinnitus patients.

Citation: Öztürk Özdeş N, Asta B, Aydoğan Z, Tokgöz Yılmaz S. Stress coping strategies, problem avoidance, and social isolation in chronic tinnitus. Praxis Otorhinolaryngol 2026;14(2):104-111. https://doi.org/10.5606/kbbu.2026.49002.

This study was presented at the 5th International Istanbul Audiology & 1^st International Mirko Tos Ear and Hearing Research Congress (İstanbul, Türkiye; 13-14 May 2022).