Translation and Validation of Pediatric Vestibular Symptom Questionnaire in Kannada

Abstract

Aim and objectives: The goal of the present study was to translate and validate the pediatric vestibular symptom questionnaire in English to Kannada for Kannada-speaking children (aged 6 to 16) to identify symptoms of vestibular dysfunction. Method: The study had two phases: Phase I:- Translation, and validation of the original questionnaire to Kannada. Phase II:- Administering the translated questionnaire to two groups: (1) 150 typically developing children and (2) 24 children with vestibular dysfunction. The questionnaire had 11 questions. Out of which 10 questions had the response option on a 0(never) to 3(most of the time) scale, and “do not know category was considered; the 11th question was an optional descriptive one which asked the child to describe their symptoms preventing their daily activity. The procedure involved forward and backward translation, expert committee review, content validation and pre-testing. The final version of translated PVSQ was administered on typically developing children and children with vestibular dysfunction as a part of validation. Results: The results of the content validation revealed that the developed questionnaire was contextually relevant. With experts' help, the questionnaire was translated to the Kannada version and administered on children. A significant difference between-group was noted with greater PVSQ scores for children with vestibular dysfunction (P<0.05) when compared to typically developing children. 11.5 out of 30 was the ideal cut-off score (sensitivity 100%, specificity 100%) for differentiating between children with and without vestibular symptoms. Conclusion: In conclusion, the findings from this research confirm PVSQ questionnaire validity to distinguish between typically developing children and children with vestibular dysfunction based on their symptoms, aligning with previous studies. These findings suggest that audiologists can use the PVSQ with children who know Kannada language to augment the assessment and monitor the rehabilitation of children with balance issues in a culturally appropriate way.