Tuesday, 15 September 2020
Experts at the University of Nottingham are looking for volunteers to take part in a study to help develop biological measures of stress relating to hearing difficulties such as hearing loss, deafness, tinnitus and hyperacusis.
People with hearing difficulties may face obstacles that make daily life more stressful, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Veronica Colley is a member of the University’s Patient and Public Involvement Steering group and has severe hearing loss. She says: “I wish someone could measure my stress level increase when I see someone wearing a face mask, or asks me to take part in a Zoom meeting. As a lip reader both these situations are so difficult and scary.”
To help better understand this issue, experts from the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre at the University are launching the Aura study, which will look at chronic stress levels over a period of time.
The study has two parts - a short survey, which will ask participants about their lifestyle, health, well-being, anxiety, depression and stress levels; and a hair donation.
The team will measure the amount of stress participants are feeling by measuring the cortisol levels in the hair, at 0, three and six month intervals. As cortisol is thought to be a biomarker of stress, these measurements should tell them the story of their stress levels over the last few months.
This will enable the experts to understand how people with hearing difficulties are affected by the chronic stress they experience in their life and whether hair cortisol is a good indicator of the stress that they experience.
The more people recruited for the study – the stronger the results will be.
Dr Sally Thornton, co-ordinator of the study, says: “The Aura study will help us to understand the type of difficulties people face and to understand more about hair cortisol as a biomarker for stress in people who have problems with their hearing. We know people with hearing difficulties do experience more stress but we still don't fully know why this is the case.
“We will the look to see if there is an association with biomarker levels and all the things that we are asking them in the survey; lifestyle factors, their hearing and health, how they are feeling, their levels of stress, anxiety, depression and how the pandemic has had an impact on their life. We will also look at people without hearing difficulties and see if they experience the similar types and levels of stress and if their cortisol levels are associated with any of the factors recorded in the survey.”
More information is available at http://www.aura-study.co.uk
Or to join the study visit- : https://nottingham.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/the-aura-study-a-biomarker-study-of-stress
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Sally Thornton at sally.thornton@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…