Hearing-aid outcomes in Chinese adults: Clinical application and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life questionnaire

Objective: To adapt the Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life questionnaire into Chinese (the SADL-CH questionnaire) and investigate hearing-aid satisfaction in a group of adult Hong Kong Chinese fitted with free hearing aids. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Study sample: One hundred and twenty-five experienced hearing-aid users. Methods: The subjects completed a history form seeking demographic data and a questionnaire combining the SADL-CH instrument with questions seeking subjects’ subjective ratings of satisfaction with some hearing-aid features and overall satisfaction with their hearing aid. Results: The SADL-CH questionnaire had a good internal consistency reliability estimate (α = 0.79) comparable to that of the original version. SADL-CH scores were observed to have significant correlations with other satisfaction ratings on some hearing-aid features and the overall satisfaction measure. A high degree of test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.79) was observed. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the SADL-CH questionnaire had a four-factor structure. Interim norms were derived for the SADL-CH questionnaire. The level of hearing-aid satisfaction in Chinese adults was generally lower than that reported in studies conducted among Western populations. Conclusion: The SADL-CH questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring hearing-aid satisfaction. Copyright © 2012 British Society of Audiology, International Society of Audiology, and Nordic Audiological Society.