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Self-help has the potential to provide low-cost and effective ways of improving access to psychological support for people with tinnitus. When developing and evaluating resources it is important to consider issues that may influence successful implementation. This Survey explored clinicians’ use and views on self-help, and barriers to implementation. An online survey was distributed to 220 UK audiology departments. One-hundred and twenty-four clinicians responded to the survey (91 audiologists, 32 hearing therapists, 1 clinical psychologist), each representing a different tinnitus department. Two-thirds of respondents reported providing or recommending self-help resources. Potential benefits were patient empowerment and providing a means of engaging patients in their care. Almost half of respondents felt that there is insufficient training or guidance for clinicians on using or promoting self-help. Clinicians felt that for patients with low-level tinnitus severity, self-help may reduce the number of audiology appointments required. For patients with more complex needs self-help may be useful to engage with between clinical appointments. Further research is needed to determine effectiveness, who benefits, and by what mechanism, before clinicians can confidently recommend or implement self-help. Clinicians will benefit from formal guidance on promoting and supporting use of self-help for tinnitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Tinnitus is the perception of noise without a corresponding external stimulus. Current management typically aims to moderate associated psychosocial stressors and allow sufferers to retain an adequate quality of life. With the increasing recognition of the Internet as a repository for health advice, information, and support, the online support group has become a popular coping strategy for those living with chronic conditions such as tinnitus. Patients find that communicating with each other, providing encouragement, and sharing information in the absence of physical and temporal boundaries are invaluable ways of managing their condition. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential positive and negative consequences of participating in online support groups for tinnitus. Method: Discussion forum threads were collated from across 4 public online support group websites. All threads were initiated between February and April 2016. Texts from these threads were coded by 3 separate analysts using both inductive and deductive thematic analysis, until data saturation was reached. Results: Analysis of 75 threads (641 individual posts) found 9 independent themes pertaining to aspects of participation in tinnitus online support groups. The results revealed that using the forums allowed users to exchange knowledge and experiences, express complex emotions, profit from a network of support, and engage in everyday conversation away from the burden of their tinnitus. However, some experiences appeared to be compromised by negative messages, limited communication, and informational issues such as conflicting advice or information overload. Conclusions: This study represents the 1st research into discussion forums in tinnitus online support groups. A nonintrusive (passive) analysis method was used, whereby messages comprising the dataset were retrieved without direct interaction with the discussion forum. Individuals and the community of tinnitus online support groups are deemed to be at low risk from potential harm in this study. Most tinnitus patients likely benefit from accessing online support groups, for example, they discover they are not alone, and they find new coping strategies. However, for those who are particularly vulnerable or prone to psychological stress, accessing these groups could be detrimental. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the presence of key interactive design features across Internet-based audiology rehabilitation and self-management interventions, and whether there is evidence of them mediating effects of the intervention. Method: Adult audiology interventions relevant to this review were identified through a literature search in Google Scholar and a hand search of key journals. Four key interactive design features that have been proposed to mediate the effects of Internet-based health interventions were reported for each intervention: social context and support, contacts with the intervention, tailoring, and self-management. Results: Five interventions were identified as representative examples of work in the field. Social context and support and contacts with the intervention were provided in most interventions, mainly through clinician guidance. Only 1 intervention utilized tailoring to personalize intervention content to individual users, but use was minimal. Self-management features were also used in all interventions but the precise nature of these features was poorly reported. Conclusion: Future studies should assess the optimal dose and combinations of intervention features for maximizing efficacy in audiology intervention. To be specific, the role of tailoring should be explored, which has been identified as a potential mediator of intervention outcome in the wider e-health literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Self-help interventions are followed by people independently with minimal or no therapist contact. This review aims to assess the effectiveness of self-help interventions for adults with chronic tinnitus and systematically identify the self-help techniques used. Design: Systematic review and application of health psychology taxonomies. Electronic database searches were conducted, supplemented by citation searching and hand-searching of key journals. Prospective controlled trials, which used measures of tinnitus distress, functional management, anxiety, depression, and quality of life, were included. Michie et al’s behaviour change techniques (BCTs) taxonomy and Taylor et al’s PRISMS taxonomy of self-management components were applied to describe interventions. Study sample: Five studies were included, providing low-to-moderate levels of evidence. Results: Randomized controlled trial studies were too few and heterogeneous for meta-analysis to be performed. Studies comparing self-help interventions to therapist-guided interventions and assessing non tinnitus-specific psychosocial outcomes and functional management were lacking. Fifteen BCTs and eight self-management components were identified across interventions. Conclusions: A lack of high-quality and homogeneous studies meant that confident conclusions could not be drawn regarding the efficacy of self-help interventions for tinnitus. Better reporting and categorization of intervention techniques is needed for replication in research and practice and to facilitate understanding of intervention mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article describes the Tinnitus E-Programme, a previously untested Internet-delivered self-help intervention for tinnitus. Method: Intervention coding methodology was applied to describe the intervention components, techniques, and mode of delivery. Results: The intervention consists of 5 self-management intervention components, 5 behavior change techniques, and 3 modes of Internet delivery, which aim to promote relaxation behavior and reduce tinnitus distress. Conclusions: The intervention coding provided a reliable method for reporting Internet-delivered self-help interventions. It will be used to facilitate our understanding of the intervention's potential mechanisms of change and will guide future evaluation work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]