2011 Volume 52 Issue 3 Pages 254-262
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese versions of VHI and V-RQOL.
Participants: The participants were 275 individuals treated at ENT clinics in four areas of Japan: 112 individuals exhibited dysphonia and 163 did not. VHI was administered to 161 individuals and V-RQOL, to 114 individuals. No differences in male/female ratio or mean age between individuals with or without dysphonia were found in the two groups.
Analysis: The reliability of VHI and V-RQOL was measured according to Cronbach's alpha of internal consistency. Criterion-related validity was assessed by the extent to which VHI and V-RQOL predict the presence or absence of dysphonia.
Results: Cronbach’s alpha of VHI was 0.96 for the dysphonic individuals and 0.97 for the non-dysphonic individuals. Cronbach’s alpha of V-RQOL was 0.91 for dysphonic individuals and 0.78 for non-dysphonic individuals. There were significant differences between the dysphonic and non-dysphonic groups with both VHI and V-RQOL.
Conclusions: VHI and V-RQOL in their Japanese versions showed a high level of reliability, and the presence or absence of dysphonia can be predicted through VHI and V-RQOL.
