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. 2025 Aug;46(8):878-890.
doi: 10.15537/smj.2025.46.8.20250172.

A scoping review of arabic self-reported measures of hearing, tinnitus and hyperacusis: Limited quality and quantity

Abdulsalam Alhaidary  1 , Kishore Tanniru  1 , Kevin J Munro  1 , Ahmed Bin Afif  1 , Ibrahim Almufarrij  1
Affiliations

A scoping review of arabic self-reported measures of hearing, tinnitus and hyperacusis: Limited quality and quantity

Abdulsalam Alhaidary et al. Saudi Med J. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: To identify Arabic-language self-report measures related to hearing, tinnitus and hyperacusis and evaluate whether they had been validated and cross-culturally adapted following translation from other languages.

Methods: The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR guidelines) and searched 5` information sources (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Google Scholar) from their inception to September 2023, identifying all originally developed or translated Arabic self- or parent-report measures related to hearing, tinnitus and hyperacusis. A total of 1,458 records were screened, with only 28 deemed eligible for inclusion.

Results: This review identified 23 measures related to hearing and 5 related to tinnitus and hyperacusis. All but three measures were translated and cross-culturally adapted from other languages. No statistical analysis was performed.

Conclusion: The absence of detailed descriptions of the translation process was a common concern in the identified publications. Despite millions speaking Arabic as their native language, there is a notable lack of high-quality, comprehensive Arabic-language self-report measures for hearing, tinnitus and hyperacusis. Further efforts are needed to develop and cross-culturally adapt validated Arabic measures in accordance with recommended guidelines for research and clinical applications.

Keywords: Arabic self-report measures; audiological self-report measures; validation of self-report measures.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
- PRISMA flow chart of the selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
- Percentages of publications reporting the translation process details according to parameters.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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