Development and Preliminary Evaluation of the Tinnitus Severity Short Form

Purpose Tinnitus, or the perception of sounds that occur without an external sound source, is a prevalent condition worldwide. For a subset of adults, tinnitus causes significant distress and impairment. Several patient-reported outcome measures have been developed to assess severity of tinnitus distress. However, at present, the field lacks a brief measure that is sensitive to treatment change. The purpose of the current study was to develop and preliminarily validate a brief questionnaire for tinnitus severity from two existing measures of tinnitus-related distress, the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI). Method Using data from nine study samples in the United States and United Kingdom, we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to identify a short measure with good psychometric properties. We also assessed sensitivity to treatment-related change by examining associations with change in the TFI and THI. Finally, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of the final short questionnaire in a new sample of adults seeking treatment for tinnitus-related distress. Results We identified 10 items from the THI and TFI that exhibited limited loadings on secondary factors. The resulting Tinnitus Severity Short Form achieved good to excellent fit, including in a unique sample of individuals seeking online treatment for tinnitus, and appeared sensitive to treatment-related change. Conclusions The Tinnitus Severity Short Form developed in the current study may be a useful tool for the assessment of subjective severity and distress associated with tinnitus, especially when patient burden is a concern. Further research is necessary to fully validate the questionnaire for the assessment of treatment-related change.