Evaluation of a Swedish version of the Hearing Disabilities and Handicaps Scale, based on a clinical sample of 101 men with noise-induced hearing loss

The aim of this study was to evaluate, in terms of descriptive statistics, factor analysis, corrected item-total correlations, and internal consistency reliability, a Swedish translation of the Hearing Disabilities and Handicaps Scale (HDHS). The HDHS is shortened and modified version of the Hearing Measurement Scale. Data from 101 men having noise-induced hearing loss, with the pure-tone audiometric data showing a median value of 53.3 dBHL (R = 81.6; Q = 12.5) over the frequencies 3, 4, and 6 kHz better ear, were assessed at the Department of Audiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg. A principal component analysis followed by a varimax rotation was conducted giving four emerging factors, accounting for 64.6% of the variance. Two of the factors, "speech perception" (alpha = 0.89) and "non-speech sounds" (alpha = 0.85), appear to measure perceived disability, whereas two factors, "interpersonal distress" (alpha = 0.79) and "threat to self-image" (alpha = 0.84), appear to measure dimensions related to the process of creating a handicap. The four-factor HDHS needs to be further tested in order to find out its usefulness for clinical assessment of perceived disability and handicap.