Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, United States of America; Vision and Hearing Sciences Research Group, School of Psychology and Sports Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom of Great Britain NL NT Ireland; Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative initiative between Lamar University and University of Pretoria Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom.
J Commun Disord. 2022 Jan-Feb;95:106159. doi: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106159. Epub 2021 Oct 29.
Despite evidence showing that tinnitus can have a detrimental impact on significant others (SOs), no standardized self-reported measure is currently available that specifically assesses the presence of third-party disability for tinnitus. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the psychometric properties of a newly developed self-reported measure for SOs of tinnitus and assess how scores could be meaningfully interpreted.
The research consisted of two phases. During Phase I, the Consequences of Tinnitus on Significant Others Questionnaire (CTSOQ) was developed using the The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidance. Phase II included the assessment of psychometric properties of the CTSOQ including the construct validity, internal consistency, interpretability, and responsiveness. Pairs of 194 individuals with tinnitus and their SOs completed a series of online questionnaires. SOs completed the CTSOQ measure while individuals with tinnitus completed measures related to tinnitus distress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and quality of life.
A 25 item CTSOQ was developed using a formative model. The questionnaire validation process indicated good psychometric properties with an internal consistency of 0.93 and inter-item correlation of 0.60. Support was found for the construct and discriminative validity of the measure. Floor and ceiling effects were negligible. Scores can be meaningfully interpreted to indicate mild, significant, or severe effect of tinnitus on SOs. The questionnaire was also found to be responsive to treatment-related changes.
The CTSOQ was found to have sufficient measurement properties suggesting that it is a suitable measure of third-party disability for SOs of individuals with tinnitus. Further research should be initiated to measure face validity and what scores reflect clinically meaningful change.
尽管有证据表明耳鸣会对重要他人（SO）产生不利影响，但目前尚无专门评估耳鸣第三方残疾的标准化自我报告衡量标准。本研究旨在开发并评估一种新的耳鸣 SO 自我报告衡量标准的心理测量学特性，并评估如何对分数进行有意义的解释。
研究分为两个阶段。在第一阶段，使用共识基础的健康测量工具选择标准（COSMIN）指南开发了耳鸣对重要他人后果问卷（CTSOQ）。第二阶段包括评估 CTSOQ 的心理测量学特性，包括构念效度、内部一致性、可解释性和反应性。194 对耳鸣患者及其 SO 配对完成了一系列在线问卷。SO 完成了 CTSOQ 衡量标准，而耳鸣患者则完成了与耳鸣困扰、焦虑、抑郁、失眠和生活质量相关的衡量标准。
使用形成性模型开发了 25 项 CTSOQ。问卷验证过程表明具有良好的心理测量学特性，内部一致性为 0.93，项目间相关性为 0.60。支持该衡量标准的构念和判别有效性。地板效应和天花板效应可以忽略不计。分数可以有意义地解释为表明耳鸣对 SO 的轻度、显著或严重影响。还发现该问卷对治疗相关变化具有反应性。
CTSOQ 具有足够的测量特性，表明它是一种适合评估耳鸣患者 SO 第三方残疾的衡量标准。应进一步开展研究以衡量表面有效性和分数反映出的临床有意义的变化。
