Relationship between physical and psychosocial dysfunction in Mexican patients with vertigo: A cross-cultural validation of the Vertigo Symptom Scale

The Vertigo Symptom Scale (VSS) was designed to assess and differentiate sy mptoms of: (a) balance disorder; and (b) somatic anxiety and autonomic arou sal in patients complaining of dizziness and vertigo. Although it has been translated for use in countries other than the UK, where it was originally developed, its validity in different languages and cultures has not previou sly been evaluated. This study examined the structure, reliability, and dis criminative power of a Spanish translation of the VSS administered to a Mex ican sample of 172 dizzy patients and 40 healthy controls. Scores on the tw o subscales of the VSS not only discriminated between patients and controls , but were also sensitive to differences between patient groups classified on the basis of diagnosis, test results, and occupational disability. The p attern of intercorrelations between symptoms, anxiety, depression, and hand icap in the Mexican sample was almost identical to that observed in the ori ginal UK sample. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.