title: Psychometric adequacy of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) for evaluating treatment outcome.
abstract: This study assessed the test-retest reliability/repeatability and 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and developed categories for classifying self-perceived tinnitus handicap severity. Twenty-nine adults with tinnitus as their primary auditory complaint served as subjects. The THI was administered on two occasions (mean interval 20 days) using a paper-pencil format. Results support the contention that the THI is psychometrically robust. Specifically, the test-retest reliability/repeatability was high. Additionally, the 95 percent CI for the THI was 20-points, indicating that a 20-point or greater change had to occur from test to retest for a change to be considered statistically significant at the 5 percent confidence level. Quartiles calculated from raw scores were used to create a matrix of values representing tinnitus severity. We conclude that the THI is a brief, easily administered, and psychometrically robust measure that evaluates the impact of tinnitus on daily living.
authors.affiliation: Section of Communicative Disorders, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio 44195, USA.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Sandridge
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Jacobson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome