Validation of a French (Québec) version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory

Abstract

Objective: To assess the psychometric properties of the Quebec French translation of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI-FQ). Design: The original version of the THI was translated into French by two different people, and then revised before being administered to 221 study participants. A subgroup of 75 participants also completed the French versions of the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and the Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire (TRQ). Study sample: The study participants used French as their home language, had completed an otolaryngology (ENT) assessment, and had sought help with disabling tinnitus. Results: No differences were found according to gender, age, or degree of hearing loss. The THI-FQ was very stable over a period of approximately 32 days. Internal consistency was 0.93 for the total score. Convergent validity with the TRQ was 0.81 (p < 0.001) while construct validity, as obtained with the BDI-II, was 0.74 (p < 0.001). As in other studies, the factor analysis did not confirm the structure proposed by Newman et al in the original study (1996). Conclusions: The THI-FQ presents very good reliability and validity, comparable to translations in other languages and the original version.

Key Words::

• Tinnitus
• questionnaire
• handicap
• validity
• reliability

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Louise Desautels for her help with the data collection, Pascal Thibault for his help with the statistical analyses, and Martine Gendron for coordinating the research project. The authors also thank the Institut Raymond-Dewar and the Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation for their financial and logistical support.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no declarations of interest.