Persian Version of the Hyperacusis Questionnaire: Psychometric Evaluation and Prevalence Determination

Hyperacusis is an uncommon hearing disorder, known as increased sensitivity to daily surrounding sounds. This disorder can profoundly affect people's daily activities. The studies conducted about hyperacusis are very limited in Iran. The purposes of this study are the psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the Hyperacusis Questionnaire (PHQ) and the investigation of its prevalence.

This cross-sectional study was accomplished on 203 young university students with normal hearing sensitivity. After translating the questionnaire, the psychometric properties of the PHQ were evaluated by content validity ratio (CVR) and index (CVI) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Students were evaluated by clinical audiology tests, the loudness discomfort level (LDL) measurement, and answering the PHQ. The research data collection was done from April to November 2022. Otoscopy, clinical and speech audiometry, and LDL were all executed, respectively. The participants directly answered the PHQ. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software Version 26.

The PHQ demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability, Cronbach's alpha (.81), CVI (> 0.88), and CVR (> 0.98). EFA revealed four dimensions of the questionnaire. Of the participants, four (2%) were identified as suffering from hyperacusis. The PHQ showed the possibility of differences between genders.

The psychometric evaluations of the PHQ were found to be acceptable and can be used in future studies. The prevalence of hyperacusis in our sample was 2%, and estimated to be higher in females. These findings suggest the need for further research on hyperacusis in Iranian population and specified studies to compare the two genders.