Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Voice Disability Coping Questionnaire (VDCQ) in Tamil.

Abstract

Background: The Voice Disability Coping Questionnaire (VDCQ) is a valuable tool for assessing coping strategies in individuals with voice disorders. The scarcity of evidence on coping strategies for voice-related problems globally highlights the need to establish the validity and reliability of the VDCQ in specific populations and languages. Cross-cultural adaptation is necessary to ensure the tool's linguistic and cultural relevance for Tamil-speaking individuals with dysphonia.

Objectives: This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt the VDCQ into Tamil (VDCQ-T) and evaluate its validity and reliability for use in Tamil-speaking populations with voice disorders.

Method: The study followed a standardized process for translation and cultural adaptation, involving forward translation, expert panel review, back-translation, and pilot testing. Content validity was assessed by a panel of five speech-language pathologists, three Tamil language experts, and feedback from participants. The VDCQ-T was administered to 150 participants (75 with voice disorders and 75 controls). Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to extract factors, and the questionnaire's reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results: PCA revealed four distinct factors: social support (factor I), passive coping (factor II), avoidance (factor III), and information seeking (factor IV). The questionnaire demonstrated high internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.909, and test-retest reliability showed an ICC of 0.782. The VDCQ-T showed significant differences between the voice disorder group and the control group, confirming its construct validity. Although subgroup analysis for specific voice disorders was limited, the results suggest that the tool is broadly applicable to individuals with dysphonia.

Conclusions: VDCQ-T is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing coping strategies in Tamil-speaking individuals with voice disorders. The findings emphasize the importance of social support in managing dysphonia. Future studies should explore subgroup differences and include a more diverse sample to enhance generalizability.