Abstract
Objective: The need for validated measures enabling clinicians to classify tinnitus patients according to the severity of tinnitus and screen the progress of therapies in our country led us to translate into Polish and to validate two tinnitus questionnaires, namely the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI).Design: The original English versions of the questionnaires were translated into Polish and translated back to English by three independent translators. These versions were then finalized by the authors into a Polish THI (THI-Pl) and a Polish TFI (TFI-Pl). Participants from three laryngological centers in Poland anonymously answered the THI-Pl (N = 98) and the TFI-Pl (N = 108) in addition to the Polish versions of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale as a measure of self-perceived level of depression, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale to assess self-perceived quality of life. Both were used to determine discriminant validity. Two Visual Analog Scales were used to measure tinnitus annoyance and tinnitus loudness in order to determine convergent validity.Results: Similar to the original version of the THI, the THI-Pl showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.93). The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the questionnaire has a three-factorial structure that does not correspond to the original division for functional, catastrophic, and emotional subscales. Convergent and discriminant validities were confirmed. The TFI-Pl showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.96) with the reliability ranging from 0.82 to 0.95 for its different subscales. Factor analysis confirmed an eight-factorial structure with factors assigning all items to appropriate subscales reported in the original version of the questionnaire. Discriminant and convergent validities were also confirmed for the TFI-Pl.Conclusion: We translated and validated the Polish versions of the THI and the TFI to make them suitable for clinical use in Poland.
Highlights
Tinnitus (“ringing in the ears”) is described as the perception of sound without any external stimulation
The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the questionnaire has a three-factorial structure that does not correspond to the original division for functional, catastrophic, and emotional subscales
Discriminant and convergent validities were confirmed for the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI)-Pl
Summary
Tinnitus (“ringing in the ears”) is described as the perception of sound without any external stimulation. Chronic tinnitus is a common condition, affecting around 10% of the general population, and for some people this condition is debilitating (Langguth et al, 2011). Different therapeutic approaches offer the use of hearing aids, tinnitus maskers, or tinnitus instruments that combine both (Vernon and Meikle, 2003); counseling sessions (e.g., cognitive behavior therapy, see Cima et al, 2014); counseling combined with the use of sound generators [e.g., Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), see Jastreboff and Hazel, 1993]; relaxation techniques (e.g., Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, see Roland et al, 2015); neuromodulation (e.g., the Acoustic Coordinated Reset Neuromodulation, see Tass et al, 2012); or brain stimulation (e.g., Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment, see Folmer et al, 2015). There are many possible options for treatment; none of these provides immediate and constant relief for tinnitus (for further details see, e.g., Baguley et al, 2013; Maldonado Fernández et al, 2015)
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