title: Development of the screening test for hearing problems.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this study was to develop a brief self-assessment instrument to screen for communication problems and psychosocial adjustment to hearing impairment as part of a rehabilitative needs assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pseudorandom sample of 1,000 cases was drawn from a large, heterogeneous clinical database containing audiometric data and responses to the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired (CPHI; Erdman & Demorest, 1998a). Item response theory was used to derive item-characteristic curves, and item selection was based primarily on item discrimination. Internal consistency, factor structure, sensitivity, and specificity of 2 scales, Communication and Adjustment, were evaluated in a holdout sample of 319 cases from the same database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 9-item Communication scale and an 11-item Adjustment scale both showed satisfactory internal consistency, and the 20-item test presented a clear 2-factor structure. Sensitivity and specificity functions and positive and negative predictive values indicated that the 2 scales could be used to identify the bottom 2 quartiles of the clinical population, as defined by factor scores on the CPHI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 2 scales of the Screening Test for Hearing Problems can be used to screen for communication and adjustment problems that warrant a comprehensive rehabilitative assessment.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, USA. demorest@umbc.edu
authors.forename: Marilyn E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Demorest
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wark
authors.forename: Sue Ann
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Erdman
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000379:methods; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult