Cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Malayalam version of the Berlin questionnaire
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 17, 2025
Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Parvathy Ghosh1, Nk Sapna Varma1, Chandrashekar Janakiram2
1Department of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics, Amrita School of Dentistry, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, India.
Objective:
The study aims to translate, culturally adapt and validate the Berlin questionnaire into Malayalam.
Methods:
The cultural adaptation process included translation, expert review, and pre-testing with 20 participants. Psychometric properties were assessed in 100 participants who completed the Malayalam Berlin questionnaire (M-BQ), underwent polysomnography, and provided sociodemographic and clinical data. Reliability, criterion validity, and psychometric properties were evaluated compared to Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI).
Results:
The M-BQ presented conceptual and cultural equivalence. Reliability assessed using Cronbach's alpha was 0.61. The instrument showed a sensitivity of 83.05%, 54.24%, 30.51%, and specificity of 78.05%, 97.56%, 100% for the risk stratification of obstructive sleep apnea according to the AHI scores.
Conclusion:
The study confirmed the reliability and validity of the Malayalam version of the Berlin Questionnaire in the study population.
