title: Tinnitus interferes with daily life activities: a psychometric examination of the Tinnitus Disability Index.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tinnitus Disability Index (TDI) is presented as a novel and brief self-report measure for the assessment of the interference of tinnitus with performance in specific daily life activities. We hypothesized that the TDI is a reliable and valid measure and that tinnitus disability is strongly associated with tinnitus severity, subjective tinnitus intensity ratings, and ratings of general health.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred fifteen tinnitus patients from across the Netherlands completed online a number of questionnaires about their tinnitus, their general health, and demographics. Two samples were extracted by a random split: Sample I (N = 311) for exploratory factor analysis and Sample II (N = 304) for confirmatory analysis, using structural equation modeling. One hundred forty-three of the first included respondents repeated assessment after a 2-wk time interval for test/retest analysis. Regression analyses were employed to investigate construct validity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Present analyses reveal that tinnitus disability, as measured with the TDI, might be best understood as a single-component construct, that is, one single underlying factor. The TDI is reliable over time, and tinnitus-related disability, as measured with the TDI, is strongly associated with subjective ratings of tinnitus intensity, negatively associated with quality of life ratings, and distress due to tinnitus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TDI is a brief and easily administered index measuring a unique construct, namely the experienced interference of the tinnitus with daily life activities, which is invaluable in the assessment and treatment of tinnitus patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. r.cima@maastrichtuniversity.nl
authors.forename: Rilana F F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Cima
authors.forename: Johan W S
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Vlaeyen
authors.forename: Iris H L
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: Manuela A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Joore
authors.forename: Lucien J C
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Anteunis
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*