Abstract

BACKGROUND: The Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) is one of the most psychometrically robust, well-studied, and efficient instruments among various instruments used to measure self-perceived voice related quality of life. However, the psychometric properties of the VHI-10 in the Mandarin Chinese version remain to be verified for Taiwanese culture. The aim of this study was to investigate the properties of the VHI-10 using the Mandarin Chinese version using individuals from Taiwan.METHODS: A psychometric analysis of the VHI-10 in Mandarin Chinese was undertaken as a pilot study. This involved ten subjects with voice disorders and the aim was to confirm the translation appropriateness of test items. Test reliability was further verified using two groups of subjects, namely an experimental group of subjects with voice disorders and a control group of subject with a normal voice. The test-retest reliability was also analyzed among a group of subjects with voice disorders.RESULTS: The experimental group included 176 patients and involved six subgroups of voice disorders based on clinical laryngeal diagnosis and voice assessment. The control group included 70 normal subjects without voice dysphonia. Between-group difference was demonstrated to be statistically significant (p＜0.0001). However no significant difference was found between the six subgroups of voice disorders. Test-retest reliability was assessed using 34 subjects with dysphonia and was r=0.720 (p＜0.001). The test reliability of the Mandarin Chinese version of the VHI-10 reached statistically significant (α=0.861).CONCLUSIONS: The short version of VHI-10 in Mandarin Chinese is a powerful and applicable instrument and is appropriate for use in context of Taiwan culture. VHI-10 in Mandarin Chinese is able to quantify the patients' perception of their voice handicap and thus it is clinically feasible to use the VHI-10 in Mandarin Chinese as a voice handicap index and also when comparing treatment efficacy among voice disordered populations.

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