Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Malayalam Version of the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale
<b>Background:</b> Voice disorders significantly impact individuals’ physical, functional, and emotional well-being, necessitating comprehensive assessment tools. The Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) assesses the frequency and severity of vocal discomfort symptoms. Despite its global...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Sunil Kumar Ravi Srushti Shabnam Saraswathi Thupakula Vijaya Kumar Narne Krishna Yerraguntla Abdulaziz Almudhi Irfana Madathodiyil Feby Sajan Kochette Ria Jacob |
| author_facet | Sunil Kumar Ravi Srushti Shabnam Saraswathi Thupakula Vijaya Kumar Narne Krishna Yerraguntla Abdulaziz Almudhi Irfana Madathodiyil Feby Sajan Kochette Ria Jacob |
| author_sort | Sunil Kumar Ravi |
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| description | <b>Background:</b> Voice disorders significantly impact individuals’ physical, functional, and emotional well-being, necessitating comprehensive assessment tools. The Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) assesses the frequency and severity of vocal discomfort symptoms. Despite its global adaptations, no validated Malayalam version has existed. This study aimed to adapt and validate the VTDS for Malayalam speakers (VTDS-M). <b>Method:</b> The study was conducted in two phases: Phase I involved translation and cultural adaptation of VTDS into Malayalam, followed by content validation by native-speaking speech language pathologists; Phase II involved validation of VTDS-M on 150 professional voice users, categorized into normophonic (<i>n</i> = 105) and dysphonic (<i>n</i> = 45) groups based on otolaryngological and perceptual voice evaluations. Participants completed VTDS-M and VHI-M (Voice Handicap Index—Malayalam). <b>Results:</b> The results showed strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.827 for frequency, 0.813 for severity). Significant differences were observed between groups for VTDS-M subscales and total scores, confirming its discriminatory capability. ROC analysis established a cut-off score of 11.5, with an AROC of 0.749, 64.4% sensitivity, and 79.0% specificity. Also, VTDS-M correlated positively with VHI-M, especially the physical and emotional subscales. <b>Conclusions:</b> VTDS-M demonstrated reliable psychometric properties and diagnostic accuracy, making it a valuable tool for assessing vocal discomfort in Malayalam-speaking populations specifically among the professional voice users. Future studies should explore its applicability to non-professional voice users with varied severity levels of dysphonia. |
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| spelling | doaj-art-edbd03320ba94bfe8b3e502a0e83055f2025-08-20T02:12:38ZengMDPI AGDiagnostics2075-44182025-01-0115325910.3390/diagnostics15030259Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Malayalam Version of the Vocal Tract Discomfort ScaleSunil Kumar Ravi0Srushti Shabnam1Saraswathi Thupakula2Vijaya Kumar Narne3Krishna Yerraguntla4Abdulaziz Almudhi5Irfana Madathodiyil6Feby Sajan7Kochette Ria Jacob8Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61481, Saudi ArabiaNitte Institute of Speech and Hearing, NITTE University, Mangaluru 575018, IndiaShravana Institute of Speech and Hearing, Ballari 583104, IndiaDepartment of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61481, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61481, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61481, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61481, Saudi ArabiaShravana Institute of Speech and Hearing, Ballari 583104, IndiaShravana Institute of Speech and Hearing, Ballari 583104, India<b>Background:</b> Voice disorders significantly impact individuals’ physical, functional, and emotional well-being, necessitating comprehensive assessment tools. The Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) assesses the frequency and severity of vocal discomfort symptoms. Despite its global adaptations, no validated Malayalam version has existed. This study aimed to adapt and validate the VTDS for Malayalam speakers (VTDS-M). <b>Method:</b> The study was conducted in two phases: Phase I involved translation and cultural adaptation of VTDS into Malayalam, followed by content validation by native-speaking speech language pathologists; Phase II involved validation of VTDS-M on 150 professional voice users, categorized into normophonic (<i>n</i> = 105) and dysphonic (<i>n</i> = 45) groups based on otolaryngological and perceptual voice evaluations. Participants completed VTDS-M and VHI-M (Voice Handicap Index—Malayalam). <b>Results:</b> The results showed strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.827 for frequency, 0.813 for severity). Significant differences were observed between groups for VTDS-M subscales and total scores, confirming its discriminatory capability. ROC analysis established a cut-off score of 11.5, with an AROC of 0.749, 64.4% sensitivity, and 79.0% specificity. Also, VTDS-M correlated positively with VHI-M, especially the physical and emotional subscales. <b>Conclusions:</b> VTDS-M demonstrated reliable psychometric properties and diagnostic accuracy, making it a valuable tool for assessing vocal discomfort in Malayalam-speaking populations specifically among the professional voice users. Future studies should explore its applicability to non-professional voice users with varied severity levels of dysphonia.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/3/259Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS)Voice Handicap Index (VHI)normophonicdysphonicvoice disordersMalayalam |
| spellingShingle | Sunil Kumar Ravi Srushti Shabnam Saraswathi Thupakula Vijaya Kumar Narne Krishna Yerraguntla Abdulaziz Almudhi Irfana Madathodiyil Feby Sajan Kochette Ria Jacob Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Malayalam Version of the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale Diagnostics Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) Voice Handicap Index (VHI) normophonic dysphonic voice disorders Malayalam |
| title | Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Malayalam Version of the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale |
| title_full | Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Malayalam Version of the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale |
| title_fullStr | Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Malayalam Version of the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Malayalam Version of the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale |
| title_short | Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Malayalam Version of the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale |
| title_sort | cross cultural adaptation and validation of the malayalam version of the vocal tract discomfort scale |
| topic | Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) Voice Handicap Index (VHI) normophonic dysphonic voice disorders Malayalam |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/3/259 |
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