Open AccessValidation of a Quality‐of‐Life Measure for Deaf or Hard of Hearing Youth
Author(s) -
Patrick Donald L.,
Edwards Todd C.,
Skalicky Anne M.,
Schick Brenda,
Topolski Tari D.,
Kushalnagar Poorna,
Leng Mei,
O’NeillKemp Aprille M.,
Sie Kathleen
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
otolaryngology–head and neck surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.232
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1097-6817
pISSN - 0194-5998
DOI - 10.1177/0194599810397604
Subject(s) - cronbach's alpha , respondent , quality of life (healthcare) , psychology , construct validity , population , clinical psychology , hearing loss , audiology , medicine , psychometrics , environmental health , political science , law , psychotherapist
Objective Quality‐of‐life (QOL) measures targeting youth with hearing loss are useful in population needs assessment, educational placement, and program design and evaluation. This study assesses the cross‐sectional validity of the Youth Quality of Life Instrument–Deaf and Hard of Hearing Module (YQOL‐DHH). Study Design Instrument development and cross‐sectional survey. Setting Recruitment through schools, professional organizations, clinics, and programs for youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. Subjects and Methods Thirty‐five candidate items were administered to 230 adolescents aged 11 to 18 years: 49% female, 61% white, 11% mild hearing loss, 20% moderate/moderate‐severe, 41% severe/profound, and 28% with cochlear implants. Participants completed individual or group‐administered questionnaires by paper and pencil (58%), Web‐based English (29%), American Sign Language (ASL) or Pidgin Signed English (PSE) (9%) on DVD, or interviewer‐supervised ASL or PSE DVD (4%). The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI‐S) was also completed. Factor structure, reliability, construct validity, and respondent burden were assessed. Results Thirty‐two items were retained in the final instrument covering 3 domains: self‐acceptance/advocacy (14 items, Cronbach α = 0.84), perceived stigma (8 items, Cronbach α = 0.85), and participation (10 items, Cronbach α = 0.86). QOL was not significantly associated with hearing level. One‐week test‐retest coefficients were acceptable: self‐acceptance/ advocacy (0.70), perceived stigma (0.78), and participation (0.92). As predicted, the total CDI‐S score was associated in the appropriate direction ( P <. 0001) with all YQOL‐DHH domains. Time to complete the paper‐and‐pencil version was 12 minutes. Conclusion The YQOL‐DHH shows good reliability and validity for assessing hearing‐specific QOL in adolescents.