Psychometric properties of the hearing handicap questionnaire: a Kannada (South-Indian) translation.
To assess the psychometric properties of the Hearing Handicap Questionnaire (HHQ) in Kannada (a South-Indian language) among adults with hearing loss.



The study involved a cross-sectional survey design. Participants provided demographic details and completed the Kannada and English (original) version of the HHQ questionnaire. To evaluate test-retest reliability, ∼50% of the participants completed the Kannada version for the second time after 15 days.



The sample comprised 103 adults with hearing loss recruited from local audiology clinics.



Exploratory factor analysis indicated a one-factor structure, which explained 71% of the variance in Kannada-HHQ scores. The internal consistency measured with Cronbach's alpha was 0.96. The test-retest reliability correlations of the Kannada version with the English and with the same Kannada version re-administered after 15 days were 0.96 and 0.91, respectively. Convergent validity of the scale was confirmed by significant correlations with the Participation Scale and the Assessment of Quality of Life scales. Discriminant validity was found to be low as all the Kannada-HHQ questions were highly correlated with each other (r> 0.60). No floor and ceiling effects were identified.



The psychometric properties of the Kannada-HHQ scale are considered to be adequate for clinical or research use.
a Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences , Lamar University , Beaumont , TX , USA.|b Audiology India , Mysore , Karnataka , India.
Spoorthi
S
Thammaiah
a Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences , Lamar University , Beaumont , TX , USA.|b Audiology India , Mysore , Karnataka , India.|c Department of Behavioral Science and Learning, The Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden.
Vinaya
V
Manchaiah
b Audiology India , Mysore , Karnataka , India.|d Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders , Western University , Ontario , Canada.
Vijayalakshmi
V
Easwar
b Audiology India , Mysore , Karnataka , India.|e All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, University of Mysore , Mysore , India , and.
Rajalakshmi
R
Krishna
f Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences , The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , China.
Bradley
B
McPherson
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001307:Auditory Perception; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003906:Developing Countries; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating
Developing country; hearing disability; hearing loss; outcome measures; psychometric properties; questionnaire