Short, self-report voice symptom scales: psychometric characteristics of the voice handicap index-10 and the vocal performance questionnaire.
OBJECTIVE
Short, self-report symptom questionnaires are useful in routine clinical situations for assessing the progress of disorders and the influence of interventions. The Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) and Vocal Performance Questionnaire (VPQ) are brief self-reported assessments of voice pathology, apparently useful in the general voice clinic population. Little is known of the structure or internal consistency of either tool, nor whether they correlate. This study carried out a substantial, systematic evaluation of their performance in the Laryngology office setting.


METHODS
330 adult (222 women, 108 men) voice clinic attenders completed the VHI and the VPQ.


RESULTS
The VHI-10 and VPQ each had a large, single principal component, high internal consistency, and were highly correlated (disattenuated r=0.91).


CONCLUSIONS
The VHI-10 and the VPQ are similar, short, convenient, internally-consistent, unidimensional tools.


CONCLUSIONS
The total VHI-10 or VPQ score is a good overall indicator of the severity of voice disorders.
Deary
Ian J
IJ
Department of Psychology, University of Edinburg, Edinburg, Scotland.
Webb
Alison
A
Mackenzie
Kenneth
K
Wilson
Janet A
JA
Carding
Paul N
PN
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014833:Voice Quality