Tinnitus: A survey of age of onset and prevalence in children and young adults in the normal-hearing population

The prevalence, age of onset, etiology factors and nature/severity of tinnitus in children and young adults in the normal-hearing population was investigated. A questionnaire survey was used with an N = 179. Children were selected from high school ranging from 14–18 years of age. Young adults were selected from college ranging from 18–30 years of age. The mean age of participants was 18.4 years with a standard deviation of 4.9 years. 77% of the participants reported having experienced tinnitus. An obtained r value of −.18 indicated a weak association between age and presence of tinnitus. The mean age of onset was 12.2 years with a standard deviation of 6.2 years. The etiology factors and reported nature and severity of tinnitus were suggestive of a noise-induced etiology. Further research is suggested to establish a more reliable survey and to investigate a younger population of children.