Turkish Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of Child and Parent Versions of the Pediatric Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit
TL;DR
The Turkish version of P-APHAB is a valid and reliable scale that can assess communication difficulties experienced by children who use hearing aids or cochlear implants from both the child's and parent's perspectives and is appropriate for use in clinical practice and research processes.
Abstract
Introduction: Both clinicians and researchers recognize the importance of the individual’s perspective when evaluating the effectiveness of healthcare interventions in real-world settings. Self-report scales are a commonly used measurement tool that allows individuals to assess their own experiences and perceptions, enabling them to make subjective judgements about specific variables. Since auditory perception is directly related to the hearing process, self-reports play a critical role in hearing assessments. This study aimed to adapt the Pediatric Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (P-APHAB) into Turkish and to evaluate its validity and reliability for children with hearing loss and their parents.Method: A total of 359 children (220 with normal hearing and 139 with hearing loss) and 359 parents participated in the study. Both child and parent versions of the scale were administered. The original scale was translated into Turkish as part of the cultural adaptation process and converted from a 7-point Likert scale to a 5-point Likert scale to ensure its suitability for children's cognitive level. Only the listening conditions of hearing aid or cochlear implant users were assessed.Findings: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a four-factor structure in both the child with hearing loss and their parent versions of the scale, accounting for 56.93% and 57.38% of the total variance, respectively. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were above 0.70 in all subgroups, indicating adequate internal consistency. A moderate positive correlation was found between children’s and their parents' responses. The total scale scores of children with hearing loss were significantly higher than those of their typically hearing peers (p < .001).Discussion: The Turkish version of P-APHAB is a valid and reliable scale that can assess communication difficulties experienced by children who use hearing aids or cochlear implants from both the child's and parent's perspectives. It is appropriate for use in clinical practice and research processes.