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Style preference survey: a report on the psychometric properties and a cross-validation experiment
Sherri L Smith1, Todd Ricketts, Rachel A McArdle
1Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Mountain Home, TN 37684, USA. sherri.smith@va.gov
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|January 30, 2013
Summary
The Style Preference Survey (SPS) is a new, reliable questionnaire to assess hearing aid outcomes. It shows traditional, custom-fitted hearing aid users report poorer outcomes than open-canal users.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Hearing Science
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Existing self-report measures inadequately assess hearing aid style-specific outcomes.
- A comprehensive tool is needed to differentiate outcomes based on hearing aid style.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the Style Preference Survey (SPS).
- To create a questionnaire assessing outcomes related to hearing aid style differences.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted using an observational design.
- Item development involved literature review and expert consensus, followed by psychometric evaluation (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, responsiveness) in two samples of hearing aid users (n=184 and n=185).
Main Results:
- The final 35-item SPS has five subscales: Feedback, Occlusion/Own Voice Effects, Localization, Fit/Comfort/Cosmetics, and Ease of Use.
- The SPS demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .92) and test-retest reliability (ICC = .93).
- Traditional, custom-fitted hearing aid users reported significantly poorer outcomes on four subscales compared to open-canal hearing aid users.
Conclusions:
- The Style Preference Survey (SPS) is a psychometrically sound, valid, and reliable measure.
- The SPS effectively captures outcomes related to hearing aid style preferences.
- Findings suggest style-specific differences in hearing aid outcomes, with traditional, custom-fitted devices yielding less favorable results for some aspects.
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