Preferred Name
Katherine Mueller
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Date of Graduation
5-14-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Doctor of Audiology (AuD)
Department
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
First Advisor
Yingjiu Nie
Abstract
Audiologists interact with patients reporting bothersome tinnitus frequently, however there is no standardized protocol to follow when treating/counseling these patients. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is highly researched and has been proven to alleviate bothersome tinnitus symptoms, yet audiologists are not clinically trained in this tinnitus management. Specific forms of CBT that were analyzed in this study include Attention Shifting, Neurophysiological Education, and Progressive Muscle Relaxations. This study surveyed current audiologists to determine how they are using adapted CBT techniques (aCBTt) for tinnitus management. This questionnaire aimed to investigate a) the effect of audiologists’ practice duration on their frequency to recommend or instruct certain aCBTt techniques; b) the effect of audiologists’ clinical setting on the extent their facility provides specialized treatment for bothersome tinnitus; c) the correlation between the frequency and confidence level of the recommending specific aCBTt techniques; and d) describe the overall trend analyzed for how audiologist provide aCBTt techniques. Of the 17 audiologists who opened the questionnaire, 15 participants completed and were included in this study. Results revealed there was no statistically significant correlation between an audiologist's practice duration or clinical setting in relation to the likelihood of instructing/recommending aCBTt. However, results revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between audiologists' confidence level and frequency of recommending/providing aCBTt. Despite this study's limited sample size, these findings warrant further investigation regarding how audiologists are using aCBTt on a grander scale. This is clinically necessary, so audiologists can provide evidence-based, standardized, and high-quality treatment for patients reporting bothersome tinnitus.
