Construct validity and reliability of the Bilateral Vestibulopathy Questionnaire (BVQ)

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Clinical Psychology
• Audiology

Background:

• Bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP) significantly impacts daily life.
• The Bilateral Vestibulopathy Questionnaire (BVQ) is a 54-item Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) designed to evaluate BVP symptoms and their effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the construct validity and reliability of the BVQ in a large cohort of BVP patients.
• To refine the BVQ into a shorter, more effective measure.

Main Methods:

• 148 BVP patients completed the BVQ and other established questionnaires.
• Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses (CFA and EFA) were used to evaluate construct validity.
• Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and test-retest reliability (ICC) were assessed.

Main Results:

• Exploratory factor analysis identified a 20-item, four-factor solution (oscillopsia, imbalance, emotion, cognition).
• Subsequent CFA confirmed construct validity with an acceptable model fit.
• The shortened 24-item BVQ (20 Likert, 4 VAS items) showed good internal consistency (0.80-0.89) and reliability (0.76-0.93).

Conclusions:

• A shortened 24-item BVQ demonstrates good construct validity and reliability.
• This validated PROM effectively captures BVP symptoms and their impact on daily life.
• The BVQ facilitates systematic, quantitative assessment of BVP treatment effectiveness.