Evaluation of the Hearing Aid Rehabilitation Questionnaire in Dutch: Examination of its Psychometric Properties and Potential Use as a Screening Instrument

Items pertaining to hearing and hearing aids from the Hearing Aid Rehabilitation Questionnaire were applied to a heterogeneous sample of Dutch patients aged 55 years and more to evaluate their potential use in hearing screening. Subjects aged 55+ were recruited from a large general practitioners practice to participate. Three groups were formed: a group of 63 persons with a hearing aid, a group of 64 without a hearing aid but with sufficient hearing impairment to qualify for hearing aid reimbursement, and a group of 85 non-hearing impaired persons. Factor and reliability analyses revealed a structure with two scales regarding hearing, namely functionality and social hearing and three scales pertaining to hearing aids, namely hearing aid stigma, pressure to be assessed and not wanting a hearing aid. Scale validity was assessed with pure tone averages over the frequencies 1, 2 and 4 kHz and with a visual analogue scale for subjective hearing. The derived scales can be applied reliably in audiological assessment in an adult hearing screen setting to detect experienced hearing problems as well as attitudes related to hearing and hearing aids.