http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9605-8615
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Abstract
Aim: To explore the internal consistency, criterion validity, and discriminative validity of the Arabic version of the vocal tract discomfort scale (VTDS-Arab); and to establish cut-off scores for the VTDS-Arab.
Methodology: An overall of 202 participants (31 patients with voice disorders of organic and functional causes, and 171 healthy subjects, mean age 25.3 ± 6.7) were recruited in this study. Participants completed the VTDS-Arab scale and the Arabic version of the voice handicap index (VHI-Arab).
Results: The VTDS-Arab had a positive internal consistency confirmed by Cronbach’s α = 0.91. The criterion validity of the VTDS-Arab was confirmed by the strong positive correlation between the total scores of the VTDS-Arab and the VHI-Arab (r = 0.64, p < .001). Patients scored higher than the healthy subjects in all the subscales of the VTDS-Arab (p < .001) which confirmed the discriminative validity of the VTDS-Arab. Age and gender were not found to affect the scores of the VTDS as confirmed by Pearson r test (r = 0.02, p = .80) and insignificant p values of Levene’s test (F1, 200 = 0.43, p = .51), respectively, which supports the validity of the VTDS-Arab. The study posited interpretations for the ranges of scores of the VTDS-Arab based, where the cut-off score for the VTDS-Arab total was 26.
Conclusion: The VTDS-Arab is a reliable and a clinically valid tool that can be used in the evaluation of voice disorders alongside other subjective and objective tools of evaluation.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Wesam B. Darawsheh
Wesam B. Darawsheh is an Associate Professor at the University of Jordan; and is an 2018-2019 Fulbright Postdoc Research grantee to Jacksonville University, USA.
Abeer Shdaifat
Abeer Shdaifat Holds an MSc in Speech-Language pathology.
Yaser S. Natour
Yaser S. Natour Professor and the Head of the Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences, University of Jordan, Jordan. Is the recipient of the 1998 Fulbright grant to USA in the field of Communication Disorders.