OBJECTIVE: Subjective tinnitus is a frequent symptom characterized by perception of sound in the absence of a corresponding external stimulus. Although many people learn to live with tinnitus, some find it severely debilitating. Why tinnitus is debilitating in some patients, but not in others, is still incompletely understood. We aimed to assess the influence of different aspects of psychological distress on perceived tinnitus severity. METHODS: Three hundred seventeen patients diagnosed with chronic subjective tinnitus at two university clinics completed the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ) and the Symptom Check List-90-Revised. The influence of the different dimensions of psychological distress on perceived tinnitus severity was statistically evaluated. RESULTS: Both THI and TQ scores were significantly influenced by gender, site and the dimension "depression". In addition, TQ scores were significantly influenced by age and "somatization," whereas "hostility" had an impact on THI scores only. CONCLUSION: Psychological aspects as well as sociodemographic variables had a significant influence on both TQ scores. However, our results indicate, that these scales reflect emotional distress of tinnitus sufferers differently. This should be taken into consideration in the use of these scales as screening tools for assessment of tinnitus handicap.

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