Welcome to the AURA study

We want to understand the type of stress experienced by people with hearing loss, but you can take part in the AURA study even if you don't have a hearing loss.

If you participate, we will analyse a sample of your hair to measure the stress hormone cortisol. We will compare that information to your answers to questions about stress, anxiety, and other recent life events.

What do you need to do?

This study has THREE parts:  (to be completed only ONCE)

  1. THE SURVEY: The following pages contain questions about yourself and how you have been feeling recently. It will take about 20 minutes to complete. It asks you questions about your health your hearing, and all the types of things that can impact your stress levels and affect your hair cortisol levels.
  2. HAIR DONATION: You will need to donate one small sample of hair (about half a pencil width, from the middle and back of the head, as close to the root as possible) on the same day or within the same week as you took the survey and send it back to me as soon as you can. Instructions for hair donation are at the end of the survey. You will need 2-3cm of hair length to take part in this study and return to Dr Thornton, Hearing Sciences, 113 Ropewalk House, Nottingham, NG1 5DU. Please label with your name and email address and your DOB. Youtube video with instructions: https://youtu.be/r7W9YT4_57M
  3. OPTIONAL - digit triplet test - a short (5 minutes) online hearing test of speech in noise (click for link at the end of the survey).AURA study - Listening test - Hearing Sciences @ the University of Nottingham (hearqol.com)

MEET THE TEAM

STUDY INFORMATION:  For more details about participant information please click here