A preliminary validation of a Norwegian version of the Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire.

ABSTRACT

At present there is no validated tinnitus questionnaire available in Norway. The aim of the present study was to psychometrically evaluate and report on a Norwegian translation of the Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire (TSCHQ). Furthermore, the results were compared to those of a recent Swedish validation of TSCHQ. More than two hundred (N = 218) participants with tinnitus participated in the study, of which 78% completed the Norwegian TSCHQ on two occasions so that test-retest reliability could be evaluated. Results show that the Norwegian TSCHQ has acceptable test-retest reliability with the exception of 10 items, which is slightly better than the recent Swedish validation of TSCHQ. At the item level, there were both similarities and differences between the Norwegian and Swedish validation studies. It is concluded that the Norwegian TSCHQ is an appropriate measure of patients' history and experience of tinnitus, and while we recommend further validation of the Norwegian TSCHQ, we encourage Norwegian researchers and clinicians to use the Norwegian translation of TSCHQ.