gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: The Tinnituscentre Detmold (TZD) instructs its participants in several strategies to overcome tinnitus during a weekend-seminar [Ref. 1]. It was found that a small part of the participants (5-7%) did not show a long-term reduction or even had a higher psychological strain of tinnitus than before.

Method: 29 patients (10 female; mean age: 49 years) completed the CFT 20-R [Ref. 2] during a one-weekend-seminar in the TZD. Additionally to the CFT 20-R the participants completed the tinnitus-questionnaire [Ref. 3] and the audiological-strain-inventory [Ref. 4]. The latter two were assessed four times (pre and post therapy and catamnestic after 6 and 12 months).The results of the CFT20-R were compared with the data collected with the other two questionnaires.

Results: An IQ of 100 is average in the German population. We used this mark to split our participants in two groups. There were 9 participants with an IQ of less than 100 (mean: 91.7) and a group of 20 participants with an IQ of more than 100 (mean: 111.7).

If you compare the pre- and post- therapy data of the two groups, you can see that the group of patients with the higher IQ suffers more prior to therapy but has a stronger reduction of the suffering under tinnitus after the therapy.

You can see, that after 12 months both groups show the same suffering under tinnitus.

Conclusion:

• The IQ of patients that have a higher psychological strain of tinnitus seems to be above average.
• Patients with an IQ above average have more success in following strategies to overcome tinnitus; more intelligent patients are more successful in accepting post-therapeutic advices.

These results show that it is important to put more effort in the individual tinnitus-education of every patient.