Development and Validation of Sentences in Tamil for Psychoacoustic Evaluation of Voice Using the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice.

Abstract

The Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) is a standardized instrument used in voice assessment to assess voice quality. It has been translated and culturally adapted in several languages. This study aimed at developing and validating a Tamil version of CAPE-V through auditory perceptual evaluation of remotely recorded voice samples. The Tamil version was adapted with permission from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to match the rationale in English CAPE-V. The sentences were constructed by the first author and validated for content by two panels of experts. Forty-five participants (15 cases and 30 controls) were included in the study. Data recording was conducted online (Zoom Video Communications, Inc., app) for all samples. Three raters participated in the auditory evaluation and scored all samples using Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, and Strain (GRBAS) scale followed by CAPE-V with a week gap in between. Twenty percent of samples were repeated to assess intrarater reliability. The intrarater and interrater reliability measures for Tamil CAPE-V were established using intraclass coefficients (ICCs). To ensure construct validity, group differences were determined between the cases and controls. The concurrent validity was established by correlating Tamil CAPE-V with the GRBAS scale. The intrarater reliability for Tamil CAPE-V ranged from moderate to excellent (ICC: .610-.998). The Tamil CAPE-V obtained moderate to good interrater reliability for all parameters (ICC: .525-.790) except pitch (ICC: .405). The differences between the cases and controls were statistically significant (p < .01). The correlation between CAPE-V and GRBAS was strong for overall severity, breathiness, and strain (r s = .725-.861) and moderate for roughness (r s = .678). The Tamil CAPE-V is a reliable and valid tool for auditory perceptual evaluation in Tamil-speaking populations. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21513885.