Italian Version of the YQOL-DHH Questionnaire: Translation and Cross-cultural Adaptation

OBJECTIVE: To translate and cross-culturally adapt into Italian the YQOL-DHH (Youth Quality of Life Instrument–Deaf and Hard of Hearing Module), an instrument to evaluate the health-related quality of life in young deaf people. It could be useful for professionals, teachers, and parents to take care of deaf adolescents’ needs. STUDY DESIGN: Forward-backward translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and cognitive debriefing. SETTING: The cognitive debriefing was performed online with professionals and during clinical practice with deaf adolescents. METHODS: A methodological study was conducted according to the guidelines provided by the development team. The study consisted of a forward-backward translation and a cross-cultural adaptation. After the original authors’ confirmation, a cognitive debriefing was conducted with 30 professionals who work with deaf young people and with 10 deaf adolescents aged 11 to 18 years. RESULTS: For the linguistic translation and cross-cultural adaptation, some variations to the original instrument were made to obtain equivalence, such as the expression “deaf or hard of hearing” translated only with the Italian word “sordo.” During the cognitive debriefing, the clarity and comprehensibility of the items were reported by professionals and deaf adolescents. Eventually, the authors approved the final version. CONCLUSION: The YQOL-DHH was translated and culturally adapted into Italian. The translated items were pertinent to the Italian culture and equivalent to the original ones. A validation study is suggested to make the instrument feasible for use in different clinical or educational contexts. In addition, to guarantee accessibility and autonomy for young deaf signers, Italian Sign Language translation of the questionnaire is suggested.