The employment consequences of hearing loss among teachers: a 7-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND: Hearing loss is the third leading cause of years lived with disability. As the retirement age is rising, age-related hearing loss (HL) is an increasing occupational health (OH) problem. This study aimed to examine long-term changes in employment and work outcomes in teachers with HL and to identify barriers to and facilitators for their work participation. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study with 7-year follow-up, teachers completed an internet survey and an online hearing test. Teachers were classified as normal hearing (NH) and teachers with HL. For those who had stopped working during follow-up, we compared retirement age and proportions receiving disability pension in both groups. For those still working, differences between NH and teachers with HL in work outcome changes, i.e. work ability (Work Ability Scale), work performance (Health & Work Performance Questionnaire), and sustainable employability (Capability Set for Work Questionnaire) were investigated with ANOVA. Furthermore, teachers with HL answered questions on work participation barriers and facilitators for a thematic analysis. RESULTS: Of the invited N = 325 teachers, n = 211 (65%) responded and n = 89 were teachers with HL. Among those who had stopped working (n = 89), the mean retirement age was 64.6 years for both NH and teachers with HL. At follow-up, n = 10 received disability pension of which n = 9 had HL (p < 0.01). No differences were found over time for changes in work outcomes. Barriers for work participation were attending meetings, teaching, and poor classroom acoustics. Facilitators were job satisfaction, cooperation of the work environment, task adjustment, good acoustics, and technical equipment. CONCLUSIONS: Teachers with HL retired at the same age as NH teachers, but more often received disability pension. No differences were found in work outcomes over time. Our study identified barriers and facilitators relevant for OH professionals when advising teachers with HL about work participation. KEY MESSAGES: • Although work outcomes over time were not different for teachers with and without hearing loss, teachers with hearing loss more often stopped working because of disability pensioning. • The identified barriers to and facilitators can be used to advise teachers with hearing loss and their employers about workplace accommodations.