Speech perception and self-efficacy in adults cochlear implant users

Hearing loss (HL) significantly impacts individuals' lives, affecting speech communication, social interactions, and quality of life. Cochlear implants (CIs) offer a solution for adults with moderate to profound sensorineural HL, yet speech communication outcomes vary widely among users. While factors like auditory history, device features, and cognitive health contribute to outcome variability, malleable factors remain underexplored. This study examines self-efficacy (SE)—the belief in one’s ability to complete tasks or succeed in specific situations—as a key factor affecting CI speech communication outcomes. Thirty-six postlingually deafened adult CI users (ages 35–83 years) completed a self-report SE survey and a multi-talker sentence comprehension task, involving true/false judgments. Results showed that SE was significantly correlated with speech comprehension accuracy, suggesting that higher SE may relate to better engagement in challenging listening environments and more effective communication strategies. Although SE was lower in CI users compared to a normal-hearing control group, the difference was not significant. These preliminary findings highlight the potential role of SE in determining speech communication outcomes among CI users. Future research will investigate the mechanisms underlying this relationship, to guide interventions aimed at enhancing SE and communication success for adult CI users.