Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of speech,spatial and qualities of hearing scale(SSQ).Methods The SSQ was translated into Chinese using the translation and back-translation method.Self-assessment with the scale was conducted for 50 adults with normal hearing and 28 adults with hearing impairment who had bilateral hearing aids fitted.Two weeks after the initial assessment,10 individuals with bilateral hearing aids fitted were randomly selected to be re-assessed using the same scale.The Cronbach's αcoefficients of the scores of each dimension and the total score of the scale was used to evaluate the internal consis-tency of the scale,and the correlation coefficient of the results of the two assessments was used to test the test-retest reliability of the scale.The expert evaluation method was adopted to test the content validity of the scale,and the correlation coefficients of the scores of each dimension and the total score were used to test the construct validity of the scale.The score differences of each item and each dimension between adults with normal hearing and adults with bilateral hearing aids fitted were compared to test the discriminant validity.Results Valid responses were obtained from all 78 participants.① The test-retest reliability coefficients of the total scale and the three dimensions were all greater than 0.750(P＜0.01),indicating excellent test-retest reliability.The Cronbach's α coefficients of the total scale and the three dimensions were all greater than 0.700,suggesting excellent internal consistency.② All four ex-perts indicated that the content of each item in the three dimensions of the SSQ scale was in line with the measure-ment requirements,showing excellent content validity.The correlation coefficients between the scores of the three dimensions and the total scale were between 0.809 and 0.890,indicating a high degree of correlation.There were statistically significant differences in the scores of the three dimensions between the normal group and the group with bilateral hearing aids fitted(P＜0.05),and the overall discriminant validity of the scale was excellent.Conclusion The Chinese version of the SSQ has good reliability and validity,and can be used as a subjective auditory assessment in clinical practice.

Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of speech,spatial and qualities of hearing scale(SSQ).Methods The SSQ was translated into Chinese using the translation and back-translation method.Self-assessment with the scale was conducted for 50 adults with normal hearing and 28 adults with hearing impairment who had bilateral hearing aids fitted.Two weeks after the initial assessment,10 individuals with bilateral hearing aids fitted were randomly selected to be re-assessed using the same scale.The Cronbach's αcoefficients of the scores of each dimension and the total score of the scale was used to evaluate the internal consis-tency of the scale,and the correlation coefficient of the results of the two assessments was used to test the test-retest reliability of the scale.The expert evaluation method was adopted to test the content validity of the scale,and the correlation coefficients of the scores of each dimension and the total score were used to test the construct validity of the scale.The score differences of each item and each dimension between adults with normal hearing and adults with bilateral hearing aids fitted were compared to test the discriminant validity.Results Valid responses were obtained from all 78 participants.① The test-retest reliability coefficients of the total scale and the three dimensions were all greater than 0.750(P＜0.01),indicating excellent test-retest reliability.The Cronbach's α coefficients of the total scale and the three dimensions were all greater than 0.700,suggesting excellent internal consistency.② All four ex-perts indicated that the content of each item in the three dimensions of the SSQ scale was in line with the measure-ment requirements,showing excellent content validity.The correlation coefficients between the scores of the three dimensions and the total scale were between 0.809 and 0.890,indicating a high degree of correlation.There were statistically significant differences in the scores of the three dimensions between the normal group and the group with bilateral hearing aids fitted(P＜0.05),and the overall discriminant validity of the scale was excellent.Conclusion The Chinese version of the SSQ has good reliability and validity,and can be used as a subjective auditory assessment in clinical practice.