Psychometric Properties of Voice Activity Participation Profile-Persian Version (VAPPP)

Individuals with voice disorders may experience limits in activity and restricted participation in daily activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Voice Activity Participation Profile-Persian Version (VAPPP), a questionnaire which specifically investigates activity limitation and participation restriction in Persian-speaking individuals with voice disorders.

We completed a translation procedure according to World Health Organization guidelines, prior to administering the questionnaire to 208 participants (156 patients with dysphonia and 52 controls), each of whom completed the questionnaire. We examined various psychometric properties including item analysis, factor analysis, internal consistency, discriminant validity, criterion-related validity, and test-retest reliability were investigated for this questionnaire.

Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 27 items on the VAPPP were distributed across four factors and that the first question, which assesses self-perceived dysphonia severity, was grouped separately. All the four subscales and total VAPPP have high internal consistency and test-retest reliability based on Cronbach's alpha coefficients and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Job effects (α = 0.85; ICC = 0.96), daily communication effects (α = 0.96; ICC = 0.83), social communication effects (α = 0.91; ICC = 0.93), emotional effects (α = 0.94; ICC = 0.76), and total score (α = 0.97; ICC = 0.88) are presented. VAPPP scores in patients with dysphonia were significantly different from those of the healthy control group (P < 0.001). The VAPPP total score has a high correlation to the Voice Handicap Index (r = 0.86; P < 0.001) CONCLUSION: The VAPPP is a reliable and valid tool for evaluating the quality of life of patients with dysphonia in Iran.