Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug 29;19(17):10738.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph191710738.

Polish Translation and Validation of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30)

Beata Miaśkiewicz  1 , Elżbieta Gos  2 , Małgorzata Dębińska  1 , Aleksandra Panasiewicz-Wosik  1 , Dorota Kapustka  1 , Katarzyna Nikiel  1 , Elżbieta Włodarczyk  3 , Anna Domeracka-Kołodziej  1 , Paulina Krasnodębska  1 , Agata Szkiełkowska  1
Affiliations

Polish Translation and Validation of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30)

Beata Miaśkiewicz et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Traditional voice evaluations, including imaging techniques, auditory-perceptual ratings, and acoustic and aerodynamic analyses, fail to assess the global handicap that a patient experiences as a result of a voice disorder. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) is currently one of the most widely used and psychometrically robust instruments for measuring voice disability. The aim of the study is to translate and validate a Polish version of the VHI. The original English-language version of VHI-30 was translated into Polish. We enrolled 188 subjects-123 patients (91 women and 32 men) with voice disorders and 65 controls (53 women and 12 men) without voice disorders. Results obtained by the patients were significantly higher than those obtained by the controls on the Emotional subscale (U = 519.0; p < 0.001), Functional (U = 829.0; p < 0.001), Physical (U = 331.0; p < 0.001), and the global score (U = 390.0; p < 0.001). There were statistically significant negative correlations between maximum phonation time and global score (rho = -0.31; p < 0.01) as well as all three subscales. Shimmer and Smoothed Amplitude Perturbation Quotient were correlated positively with the global score (rho = 0.22; p < 0.05; rho = 0.25; p < 0.01, respectively) and with all three subscales. There were also statistically significant correlations between VHI scores and auditory perceptual evaluation. In the patient group, there was excellent internal consistency (α = 0.97) and strong test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation = 0.94). The cut-off value equal to 17 points was estimated. The Polish VHI showed excellent internal consistency, good test-retest reproducibility, and clinical validity. It is a useful tool for evaluating the voice disability perceived by a patient.

Keywords: quality of life; questionnaire; reliability; validity; voice handicap index.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean VHI-POL global score depending on diagnosis. The error bars represent standard deviations. VF, vocal fold; UVFP, unilateral vocal fold paralysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
ROC curve representing the sensitivity and 1-specificity of cut-off points for the VHI-POL global score (distinction between patients with voice disorders and controls). The optimal cut-off point for VHI-POL global score was 17 points. The AUC was 0.952; p < 0.001. Sensitivity for the value of 17 points was 0.886 and specificity was 0.815.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Arffa R.E., Krishna P., Gartner-Schmidt J., Rosen C.A. Normative values for the Voice Handicap Index-10. J. Voice. 2012;26:462–465. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2011.04.006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sotirovic J., Grgurevic A., Mumovic G., Grgurevic U., Pavicevic L., Peric A., Erdoglija M., Milojevic M. Adaptation and validaton of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI)-30 into Serbian. J. Voice. 2016;30:758.e1–758.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2015.09.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Behlau M., Dos Santos L.D.M.A., Oliveira G. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the voice handicap index into Brazilian Portuguese. J. Voice. 2011;25:354–359. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2009.09.007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dejonckere P.H., Bradley P., Clemente P., Cornut G., Crevier-Buchman L., Friedrich G., De Heyning P., Remacle M., Woisard V. A basic protocol for functional assessment of voice pathology, especially for investigating the efficacy of (phonosurgical) treatments and evaluating new assessment techniques. Eur. Arch. Otorhinolaryngol. 2001;258:77–82. doi: 10.1007/s004050000299. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jacobson B., Johnson A., Grywalski C., Silbergleit A., Jacobson G., Benninger M.S., Newman C.W. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI): Development and validation. Am. J. Speech-Lang. Pathol. 1997;6:66–70. doi: 10.1044/1058-0360.0603.66. - DOI