French adaptation and validation of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing scale for Parents (SSQ-P) and for Children (SSQ-Ch)

Abstract

Objectives Hearing loss can seriously impact children’s daily life. This study aims to translate and validate the French versions of the hearing performance questionnaires, SSQ-Parent (for 5–18 years old children), and SSQ-Children (for 11–18 years old children). Design This controlled prospective trial was conducted between April and October 2020. The forward-backward translation method was used, and a test-retest procedure was carried out on a case and a control population. Cases had at least 30 dBHL hearing loss. Study sample 54 cases (mean age 10.4 years old) and 32 controls (mean age 12.5 years old) answered the SSQ-Parent. 35 cases (mean age 13.1 years old) and 35 controls (mean age 14.3 years old) answered the SSQ-Children. Results Spearman’s correlation coefficients between global scores of the test and re-test were 0.91 (p < 0.001) for SSQ-Parent, and 0.89 (p < 0.001) for SSQ-Children. Both tests were discriminant (respectively, global score 57.8 vs 92 p < 0.001, 61.2 vs 92.6 p < 0.001), and internally consistent (Cronbach’s alpha 0.94 and 0.97). Items-global score correlation was satisfactory. ROC curves showed high area under curve for the SSQ-Children (0.990), and SSQ-Parent (0.988). Conclusion The SSQ-Parent and SSQ-Children revealed excellent statistical properties, and can be used for the evaluation of hearing performance of children.