Purpose
To translate and culturally adapt the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) for Brazilian Portuguese.
Methods
The processes of translation, back translation, evaluation by a committee of experts and cultural adaptation (pre-test) were performed. The cultural adaptation phase consisted of application of the questionnaire in 40 literate, non-hearing impaired, Brazilian adults. Two Portuguese versions of the SSQ were prepared: the first applied in Pilot Group 1 (20 subjects) and the second, after expert committee review, applied in Pilot Group 2 (20 subjects). Cultural equivalence of the questionnaire is reached when 85% of individuals have no difficulty understanding its questions. The internal consistency of the Portuguese SSQ was assessed using Cronbach's alpha.
Results
Comprehension difficulties were identified for question 14 of Part 2 and Question 5 of Part 3. The remaining questions were understood by more than 85% of the participants. The problematic questions were reviewed and modified without changing their context. The final version of the SSQ showed good cultural equivalence for Brazilian Portuguese, where 91.6% of participants reported ease of understanding of all questions. Statistical analysis revealed a high Cronbach's alpha coefficient (>0.8), confirming good internal consistency between the different items of the questionnaire.
Conclusion
The methodology employed was effective for producing the translation and verifying the cultural equivalence of the SSQ in Brazilian Portuguese.
Questionnaires; Translating; Hearing loss; Auditory perception; Hearing
