Influence of Spirituality on Severity, Quality of Life, and Mental Health of Tinnitus Patients.

Abstract

Objective: Despite the growing evidence on the role of spiritual and religious beliefs on physical and mental health outcomes, this remains inadequately explored in the field of otolaryngology, particularly for chronic conditions such as tinnitus. This study aims to investigate the influence of spiritual and religious beliefs on symptom severity, quality of life, and mental health of Brazilian patients with chronic subjective tinnitus.

Methods: Cross-sectional study including patients with chronic subjective tinnitus.

Setting: Specialized outpatient center in Brazil. Religious and spiritual variables (Duke Religion Index, FACIT-Sp 12, and SRCOPE - religious coping) were investigated on the relationship with tinnitus severity (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory), mental health (DASS-21), and quality of life (WHOQOL-Bref), adjusting for sociodemographics, clinical data, and physical examination findings. Linear Regression models were used.

Results: A total of 313 patients were included. Spiritual well-being measures were associated with better results (particularly for Meaning and Peace); meanwhile, negative religious coping was associated with worse outcomes for all variables. Religiosity has presented a mixed effect, with nonorganizational religiosity having better outcomes for mental health and quality of life, and intrinsic religiosity having worse outcomes for tinnitus severity.

Conclusion: The present study found that religious and spiritual beliefs can have an important influence on the perception of tinnitus severity, mental health, and quality of life of individuals with chronic tinnitus. These findings support the importance of otolaryngologists' and audiologists' understanding of their patients' beliefs to provide more comprehensive and integrative care.