Adaptation and Validation of the Voice Present Perceived Control Scale in Kannada.

Abstract

Background: Present perceived control is the ability of an individual to control how they think about a stressful event. The Voice Present Perceived Control Scale (VPPCS) is a questionnaire designed to measure how voice disorders impact a person's stress and sense of control. Therefore, using the VPPCS can help identify people experiencing stress earlier due to their voice problems. However, no questionnaires are available in Kannada to assess the impact of voice disorders on a person's stress and sense of control.

Objective: To adapt and validate the VPPCS in the Kannada language.

Study design: A validation study.

Method: Initially, the VPPCS was translated into Kannada by two speech-language pathologists (SLPs). An SLP and a linguist reverse-translated the questionnaire back into English. Both the English versions of the questionnaires were compared to determine whether the meaning in the original text was retained in the translated version. The translated questionnaire was given to two SLPs for content validation. They were also instructed to evaluate the cultural and linguistic equivalency. In total, 84 participants (44 males and 40 females) diagnosed with voice disorders, and 84 age- and gender-matched participants with healthy voices were administered the Kannada version of VPPCS (KVPPCS).

Results: The findings revealed that the KVPPCS possessed good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and known groups' discriminant validity. The cutoff point of the KVPPCS was equal to 29.50, indicating that a value below 29.50 represents individuals with less perceived control over their psychological impact.

Conclusion: The KVPPCS can be used as a simple, reliable, self-reported tool in clinical settings to measure the perceived control ability of an individual with a voice disorder and to screen the psychological impact of voice disorder.