Development of a Simplified Version and Test-Retest Reliability for Korean Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to verify the test-retest reliability of the Korean version of the tinnitus primary function questionnaire (K-TPFQ) and to propose a simplified version of the K-TPFQ. Methods: In the test-retest reliability measure of the K-TPFQ, 31 participants were asked to complete the K-TPFQ on two occasions. Correlation between the results of the two questionnaires was confirmed by Pearson correlation coefficient. Then, a total of 110 subjects participated in the proposed, simplified version. Following factor analysis of the K-TPFQ, three items with high factor loadings for each subscale were selected as simplified version items. Internal consistency and validity were analyzed for the 12 items of the simplified version of the K-TPFQ. Results: The results of the test-retest reliability analysis of K-TPFQ showed significantly high correlations in all items, subscales, and total scores (r = 0.598-0.927). As a result of factor analysis, all items in each subscale showed high communalities. Therefore, we extracted 3 items with high content validity and high factor loadings from each subscale and adopted a total of 12 items for the simplified version. The results of the internal consistency test of the simplified version showed good validity and significantly high internal consistency of all items and subscales (α = 0.839-0.950). Conclusion: This study verified the high reliability and validity of the K-TPFQ. Therefore, it can be used to effectively evaluate the secondary effects of tinnitus in domestic clinics. In addition, the simplified version will reduce the time for evaluating tinnitus sufferers.