Psychometric Evaluation of Adapted Transsexual Voice Questionnaire for Turkish Trans Male Individuals

This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the adapted transsexual voice questionnaire for male-to-female (a-TVQ^FtM) for trans male individuals in order to determine the suitability for use in research and clinical practice among Turkish trans male individuals.

This study was conducted by the Gender Dysphoria Clinic and Voice Clinic of a tertiary hospital referral center. The a-TVQ^FtM, voice-related quality of life, and self-perception of voice masculinity rating scale were administered to 50 trans male individuals, of whom 27 were hormone naïve and 23 were undergoing hormone treatment. Psychometric properties were investigated with reliability and validity analysis.

The a-TVQ^FtM showed a strong internal consistency; the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for overall a-TVQ^FtM was 0.975, anxiety and avoidance factor was 0.948, vocal identity factor was 0.940, and vocal function factor was 0.923. No item needed to be deleted following adaptation. The a-TVQ^FtM scores showed a significant strong inverse correlation with the overall voice-related quality of life scores and the self-perception of voice masculinity rating (r = -0.863, r = -0.715, and P<0.001, respectively). The a-TVQ^FtM scores were significantly reduced in trans male individuals undergoing hormone treatment when compared with hormone naïve individuals.

Although not specifically designed for trans male individuals, the current results provide confidence as to the psychometric properties of a-TVQ^FtM and, therefore, its suitability for use with Turkish trans male individuals.