Why do cochlear implant and hearing aid users choose to (not) wear their devices?

The present study investigates the factors underlying why individuals who already possess a hearing aid or a cochlear implant do or do not use their hearing device. The study is conducted as an online survey in which participants provide information about themselves and their hearing impairment (control variables), respond to items assessing the four dimensions of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT; Venkatesh et al., 2003) - effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions (independent variables) - as well as the behavioral intention (mediator) and use behavior (dependent variable) proposed in the same model. In addition, participants’ deaf/hearing identity is assessed using the Deaf Acculturation Scale (moderator; Maxwell-McCaw & Zea, 2010). The hypotheses state that higher levels of the four UTAUT dimensions are associated with increased behavioral intention and use behavior of the device, with behavioral intention mediating the relationship between the UTAUT dimensions and use behavior. Furthermore, differences between cochlear implant users and hearing aid users are expected. It is also hypothesized that the relationship between the four UTAUT dimensions and behavioral intention is weaker among individuals with a strong identification with a deaf identity.