Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Arabic Version of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale for Parents.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we aimed to translate into Arabic and culturally adapt the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale for parents (SSQ-P).

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted over a 10-month period from February to November 2021. Translation of the SSQ-P into Arabic was performed using the forward-backward translation methodology, as recommended by the World Health Organization. Parents of 130 Arabic children aged 5-11 years with normal hearing were asked to complete the Arabic adaptation of the SSQ-P.

RESULTS

The SSQ-P was successfully translated and cross-culturally adapted into Arabic with only a few changes to ensure the comprehensibility and cultural appropriateness of the Arabic version. All parents returned the Arabic SSQ-P, with no missing data. The Arabic SSQ-P showed high internal consistency, with the Cronbach's alpha of approximately 0.91. The intraclass correlation coefficient of the individual items and total SSQ-P score was 0.90, indicating high reliability (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The Arabic translation and cultural adaptation of the SSQ-P is currently available. Further studies are needed to assess test-retest reliability and discriminant validity of the Arabic SSQ-P to better understand its usefulness and applicability.