Caroline Croft - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Caroline Croft

Research paper thumbnail of Development of the Tinnitus Response Scales: Factor analyses, subscale reliability and validity analyses

The International Tinnitus Journal, 2013

Patients suffering with tinnitus are often advised to accept the noise, but few studies have exam... more Patients suffering with tinnitus are often advised to accept the noise, but few studies have examined what tinnitus acceptance entails. The present project developed and tested a new instrument to assess the mindfulnessbased constructs of acceptance, control, and defeat, in relation to the experience of chronic tinnitus. Method: Initial scale development involved an expert panel. Participants were recruited from the general population and tinnitus support organizations and complete the first version of the Tinnitus Response Scales (TRS) and measures of tinnitus coping, severity and distress, general distress, illness cognitions, and tinnitus and health characteristics. Results: Three interpretable TRS factors were found: acceptance, control and defeat (an Internet sample, N = 273) and confirmed using another sample (hard-copy sample, N = 278). Factors were shown to have high internal consistency and testretest reliabilities and differed in terms of their related cognitions, behaviour, and emotional responses to tinnitus, and their tinnitus characteristics. Conclusion: The TRS factors provide an alternative conceptualisation of tinnitus responding. TRS is a brief psychometrically valid measure of tinnitus responding that appears to distinguish between adaptive and non-adaptive responses to tinnitus noise, and should prove useful as a clinical measure.

Research paper thumbnail of Is tinnitus acceptance the same as tinnitus habituation?

The International Tinnitus Journal, 2013

Tinnitus habituation and tinnitus acceptance both describe an apparent lack of responding to tinn... more Tinnitus habituation and tinnitus acceptance both describe an apparent lack of responding to tinnitus noise. However, no prior studies have evaluated the possible overlap between tinnitus habituation and acceptance processes in chronic tinnitus sufferers. Objectives: We examined responses to the seven acceptance items from the Tinnitus Response Scales (TRS) along with 19 items that tapped the perceptual/behavioural aspects of tinnitus habituation. Materials and Methods: A large sample of chronic tinnitus sufferers (n = 273) were recruited via advertisements placed at tinnitus clinics and websites and in the media. They were asked to complete an online survey asking about their tinnitus history and recent experiences of tinnitus habituation, sensitization to tinnitus noise, and tinnitus acceptance, and distress. Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed that a single factor solution explained 40% of the variance in the scale items. Acceptance and tinnitus habituation (vs. sensitization) subscale scores were highly negatively correlated with each other. Conclusion: Tinnitus acceptance and tinnitus habituation may describe related cognitive and perceptual/behavioral aspects of tinnitus adaptation. That is in this study, tinnitus-habituation items tapped perceptual awareness and behavioral responses to tinnitus, whereas tinnitus acceptance items tapped cognitive responses to the noise (i.e. lack of need to respond to the noise).

Research paper thumbnail of Development of the Tinnitus Response Scales: Factor analyses, subscale reliability and validity analyses

OBJECTIVE: Patients suffering with tinnitus are often advised to accept the noise, but few studie... more OBJECTIVE: Patients suffering with tinnitus are often advised to accept the noise, but few studies have examined what tinnitus acceptance entails. The present project developed and tested a new instrument to assess the mindfulnessbased constructs of acceptance, control, and defeat, in relation to the experience of chronic tinnitus.
METHOD: Initial scale development involved an expert panel. Participants were recruited from the general population and tinnitus support organizations and complete the first version of the Tinnitus Response Scales (TRS) and measures of tinnitus coping, severity and distress, general distress, illness cognitions, and tinnitus and health characteristics.
RESULTS: Three interpretable TRS factors were found: acceptance, control and defeat (an Internet sample, N = 273) and confirmed using another sample (hard-copy sample, N = 278). Factors were shown to have high internal consistency and testretest reliabilities and differed in terms of their related cognitions, behaviour, and emotional responses to tinnitus, and their tinnitus characteristics.
CONCLUSION: The TRS factors provide an alternative conceptualisation of tinnitus responding. TRS is a brief psychometrically valid measure of tinnitus responding that appears to distinguish between adaptive and non-adaptive responses to tinnitus noise, and should prove useful as a clinical measure.

Research paper thumbnail of Development of the Tinnitus Response Scales: Factor analyses, subscale reliability and validity analyses

The International Tinnitus Journal, 2013

Patients suffering with tinnitus are often advised to accept the noise, but few studies have exam... more Patients suffering with tinnitus are often advised to accept the noise, but few studies have examined what tinnitus acceptance entails. The present project developed and tested a new instrument to assess the mindfulnessbased constructs of acceptance, control, and defeat, in relation to the experience of chronic tinnitus. Method: Initial scale development involved an expert panel. Participants were recruited from the general population and tinnitus support organizations and complete the first version of the Tinnitus Response Scales (TRS) and measures of tinnitus coping, severity and distress, general distress, illness cognitions, and tinnitus and health characteristics. Results: Three interpretable TRS factors were found: acceptance, control and defeat (an Internet sample, N = 273) and confirmed using another sample (hard-copy sample, N = 278). Factors were shown to have high internal consistency and testretest reliabilities and differed in terms of their related cognitions, behaviour, and emotional responses to tinnitus, and their tinnitus characteristics. Conclusion: The TRS factors provide an alternative conceptualisation of tinnitus responding. TRS is a brief psychometrically valid measure of tinnitus responding that appears to distinguish between adaptive and non-adaptive responses to tinnitus noise, and should prove useful as a clinical measure.

Research paper thumbnail of Is tinnitus acceptance the same as tinnitus habituation?

The International Tinnitus Journal, 2013

Tinnitus habituation and tinnitus acceptance both describe an apparent lack of responding to tinn... more Tinnitus habituation and tinnitus acceptance both describe an apparent lack of responding to tinnitus noise. However, no prior studies have evaluated the possible overlap between tinnitus habituation and acceptance processes in chronic tinnitus sufferers. Objectives: We examined responses to the seven acceptance items from the Tinnitus Response Scales (TRS) along with 19 items that tapped the perceptual/behavioural aspects of tinnitus habituation. Materials and Methods: A large sample of chronic tinnitus sufferers (n = 273) were recruited via advertisements placed at tinnitus clinics and websites and in the media. They were asked to complete an online survey asking about their tinnitus history and recent experiences of tinnitus habituation, sensitization to tinnitus noise, and tinnitus acceptance, and distress. Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed that a single factor solution explained 40% of the variance in the scale items. Acceptance and tinnitus habituation (vs. sensitization) subscale scores were highly negatively correlated with each other. Conclusion: Tinnitus acceptance and tinnitus habituation may describe related cognitive and perceptual/behavioral aspects of tinnitus adaptation. That is in this study, tinnitus-habituation items tapped perceptual awareness and behavioral responses to tinnitus, whereas tinnitus acceptance items tapped cognitive responses to the noise (i.e. lack of need to respond to the noise).

Research paper thumbnail of Development of the Tinnitus Response Scales: Factor analyses, subscale reliability and validity analyses

OBJECTIVE: Patients suffering with tinnitus are often advised to accept the noise, but few studie... more OBJECTIVE: Patients suffering with tinnitus are often advised to accept the noise, but few studies have examined what tinnitus acceptance entails. The present project developed and tested a new instrument to assess the mindfulnessbased constructs of acceptance, control, and defeat, in relation to the experience of chronic tinnitus.
METHOD: Initial scale development involved an expert panel. Participants were recruited from the general population and tinnitus support organizations and complete the first version of the Tinnitus Response Scales (TRS) and measures of tinnitus coping, severity and distress, general distress, illness cognitions, and tinnitus and health characteristics.
RESULTS: Three interpretable TRS factors were found: acceptance, control and defeat (an Internet sample, N = 273) and confirmed using another sample (hard-copy sample, N = 278). Factors were shown to have high internal consistency and testretest reliabilities and differed in terms of their related cognitions, behaviour, and emotional responses to tinnitus, and their tinnitus characteristics.
CONCLUSION: The TRS factors provide an alternative conceptualisation of tinnitus responding. TRS is a brief psychometrically valid measure of tinnitus responding that appears to distinguish between adaptive and non-adaptive responses to tinnitus noise, and should prove useful as a clinical measure.