The Persian Version of the Auditory Behavior in Everyday Life Questionnaire

Abstract

<strong>Objectives:</strong> The auditory behavior in everyday life (ABEL) questionnaire is a valid tool that was translated and adapted to Persian language by Oryadi-Zanjani et al. (2015). This study aimed at establishing the final Persian version of the ABEL questionnaire (ABEL-P). <strong>Methods:</strong> This study was a cross-sectional, observational study, conducted during a 12-month period. The questionnaires were completed by 113 mothers of 1- to 6-year-old children with hearing loss using hearing aids or cochlear implants. The subjects were recruited from children studying in a rehabilitation Centre for Persian children with hearing loss in Shiraz, Iran. This study had 4 main aims, including (a) specifying internal consistency of the questionnaire in a larger sample size, (b) comparing the 26-item ABEL-P and the 24-item ABEL-P, (c) factor analysis to examine the factor structure of the ABEL-P, and (d) assessing the capability of the tool in order to determine the auditory development of children with HL during a 12-month period. <strong>Results:</strong> Both the 24-item (α = 0.95) and the 26-item (α = 0.96) ABEL-P had high reliability. There was a good correlation between the items in all the 3 factors. According to the results of factor analysis, all items of the ABEL-P questionnaire had relatively high loadings (0.60 to 0.83) on a single factor. There was a significant difference among the means of the subject's ABEL scores within a 12-month period (P value < 0.001). <strong>Conclusions:</strong> The 23-item ABEL-P questionnaire is a valid and reliable assessment tool that could be used to measure the auditory development in Persian-language children.