title: Test-retest reliability of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly.
abstract: The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) is a self-assessment tool, composed of emotional and social/situational subscales and designed to measure the perceived effects of hearing impairment in the noninstitutionalized elderly. Previous study has indicated that the HHIE has a high internal consistency, as well as high split-half reliability. The present study was undertaken to examine test-retest reliability associated with the HHIE, as the latter information is prerequisite to the application of the HHIE as a measure of change in perception of handicap which may result from audiologic intervention. Forty-seven noninstitutionalized elderly individuals with sensorineural hearing loss were sampled, using two measurement techniques: face-to-face (N = 20) and paper-and-pencil (N = 27) administration. Test-retest reliability was high for both the face-to-face and paper-and-pencil administration, suggesting that the HHIE has potential as a measure of change resulting from rehabilitation.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012647:Self-Assessment