Development and validation of a short version of the Spanish pediatric voice handicap index (P-VHI-10).

OBJECTIVES: A child's voice is used both as a tool for communication and as a form of emotional expression. Thus, voice disorders suffered by children have negative effects on their quality of life, which can be assessed using the "Pediatric Voice Handicap Index" (P-VHI). This questionnaire is completed by the parents of dysphonic patients and it has been validated in different languages: Italian, Korean, Arabic, and Spanish. More recently, the "Children Voice Handicap Index-10" test (C-VHI-10) was developed and validated, an Italian version reduced into 10 items that is answered by children themselves. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a short Spanish version of the P-VHI (P-VHI-10) and to assess whether it is comparable to the Italian C-VHI-10. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 27 patients between 6-15 years of age. We developed an abbreviated version of the P-VHI that consisted of 10 statements to be answered by parents of children with dysphonia (P-VHI-10). These statements were based on the 10 items with the highest score in the validated Spanish version of the P-VHI. In addition, the validated Italian version of C-VHI-10 was translated into Spanish and this translation was reviewed and modified by three specialists, resulting in an adapted version to be answered by parents (C*-VHI-10). The parents and children included in the study of this index were the same patients as those included in the study to validate the Spanish P-VHI. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the results obtained with the extended version of the P-VHI (17.4) and with the P-VHI-10 (18.7: Pearson coefficient = 0.602, p < 0.36). A paired student's t-test identified significant differences (p < 0.0001) when comparing the P-VHI-10 and C*-VHI-10, both of which were answered by parents, with average scores of 18.7 and 9.48, respectively. Both these reduced versions have good internal consistency, with a satisfactory Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α = 0.75 to P-VHI-10 and α = 0.73 in C*-VHI-10). No statistically significant differences were found when the average total score between the C-VHI-10 and C*-VHI-10 were compared, with a Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.559 (p < 0.9). CONCLUSION: The short version of the P-VHI10 questionnaire is a clinically valid tool that has good internal consistency.

Adaptation and validation of Spanish version of the pediatric Voice Handicap Index (P-VHI).

OBJECTIVES: The voice in childhood is a communication tool and a form of emotional expression. It is estimated that 6 to 23% of children may have voice disorders. There is a test, the Pediatric Voice Handicap Index (P-VHI), validated in English to assess the specific impact on quality of life of children with speech pathology. Spanish is the second most widely used language in the world in terms of number of speakers, with over 500 million native speakers, so it is necessary to have tools that allow us to evaluate the effects of dysphonia in Spanish-speaking children. The aim of our study is the validation of the Spanish version of the P-VHI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study including patients between 4 and 15 years of age. The English P-VHI validated version was translated into Spanish and this translation was reviewed and modified by three specialists in Otorhinolaryngology. There were two study groups, children who had dysphonia (n=44) and a control group of children without alterations in voice (n=44). The questionnaire was always answered by parents. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the group of children with dysphonia and the control group in the overall P-VHI score and the different subscales (p<0.001). Optimal internal consistency with a good Cronbach's alpha (α=0.81) was found, with high test-retest reliability (Wilcoxon z: -0847, p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the P-VHI is a validated tool that has good internal consistency. It is a reliable test that evaluates the Voice Handicap Index in the pediatric population, with easy application for daily clinical practice.