Pakistan Journal of Positive Psychology
Hearing Loss and Depression in Older Adults: Social Isolation and Loneliness as Mediating Pathways. A Narrative Review with Implications for Pakistan
Age-related hearing loss is among the most prevalent chronic conditions of later life, and a large observational literature links it to depressive symptoms in older adults. The mechanism most often proposed is psychosocial: hearing loss degrades conversational participation, which produces social disconnection, which produces depression. This review asks whether that pathway carries the effect and which component of disconnection matters, because the answer determines how the problem should be addressed. It establi …