Psychometric properties of the Chinese (Cantonese) Tinnitus Handicap Inventory.
OBJECTIVE
To establish the reliability and validity of the Chinese (Cantonese) version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory to measure the self-perceived handicapping effect and severity of the condition in patients with chronic tinnitus.


METHODS
Cross-sectional psychometric validation study.


METHODS
Audiology clinics in a hospital setting.


METHODS
Subjects were 114 adult Chinese who attended the audiology clinics with a complaint of tinnitus.


METHODS
Test-retest and internal consistency reliability; construct validity.


RESULTS
The Chinese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and its subscales showed good internal consistency reliabilities (alpha = 0.72-0.94) that are comparable to those of the original version. High correlations were observed between the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and psychological distress, tinnitus-related problem ratings and severity ratings. Factor analysis showed that the Chinese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory has a unifactorial structure. A high degree of test-retest reliability was observed (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.88).


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the Chinese (Cantonese) version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory is a reliable and valid measure of general tinnitus-related distress that can be used in clinical settings to quantify the impact of tinnitus on daily life.
Kam
A C S
AC
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. annakam@ent.cuhk.edu.hk
Cheung
A P P
AP
Chan
P Y B
PY
Leung
E K S
EK
Wong
T K C
TK
van Hasselt
C A
CA
Tong
M C F
MC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D014175:Translating; D055815:Young Adult