Reliability and validity of a Danish adaptation of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory

The objective of this study was to determine the reliability and validity o f a Danish translation of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), a self-rep ort measure of perceived tinnitus handicap. The Danish version of the THI w as administered to 50 patients reporting tinnitus as their primary complain t or secondary to hearing loss. Construct validity was assessed using tinni tus symptom rating scales, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the State-T rait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Tinnitus Coping Style Questionnaire (TCS Q), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and perceived tinnitus lou dness and pitch. The Danish translation of the THI and its subscales showed good internal: consistency reliabilities (alpha = 0.93 to alpha = 0.74) co mparable to those of the original version. High to moderate correlations we n observed between THI and psychological distress, tinnitus symptom ratings , neuroticism and maladaptive tinnitus coping. A confirmatory factor analys is failed to validate the three subscales of THI, and high intercorrelation s found between the subscales question whether they represent three distinc t factors. The results suggest that the Danish THI-Total scale may be a rel iable and valid measure of general tinnitus related distress that can be us ed in a clinical setting to quantify:thr impact of tinnitus on daily living .