Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Chinese Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the cross-cultural validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Abbreviated Profile of the Hearing Aid Benefit questionnaire (APHAB-CH). Design: A convenience sampling method was used to identify and recruit subjects. The subjects completed a history form seeking demographic data, the APHAB-CH, and a questionnaire seeking a subjective rating of hearing aid performance and overall satisfaction with their hearing aid. Study Sample: The subjects were 134 experienced hearing aid users. Results: The APHAB-CH had a good internal consistency reliability estimate (α = 0.85) comparable to that of the original version. Significant correlation was observed between the APHAB-CH scores and other subjective ratings for hearing aid performance and the overall satisfaction measure. A high test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.84) was observed. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the APHAB-CH had a two-factor structure comprising "hearing disability" and "averviseness." Normative data in terms of equal-percentile profiles were dervied for the APHAB-CH. Conclusion: The results suggest that the APHAB-CH is a reliable and valid measure of the outcomes of hearing aid fitting. Copyright © 2011 British Society of Audiology, International Society of Audiology, and Nordic Audiological Society.