Item Response Theory Applied to Factors Affecting the Patient Journey Towards Hearing Rehabilitation

Michelene Chenault*, Martijn Berger, Bernd Kremer, Lucien Anteunis

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

To develop a tool for use in hearing screening and to evaluate the patient journey towards hearing rehabilitation, responses to the hearing aid rehabilitation questionnaire scales aid stigma, pressure, and aid unwanted addressing respectively hearing aid stigma, experienced pressure from others; perceived hearing aid benefit were evaluated with item response theory. The sample was comprised of 212 persons aged 55 years or more; 63 were hearing aid users, 64 with and 85 persons without hearing impairment according to guidelines for hearing aid reimbursement in the Netherlands. Bias was investigated relative to hearing aid use and hearing impairment within the differential test functioning framework. Items compromising model fit or demonstrating differential item functioning were dropped. The aid stigma scale was reduced from 6 to 4, the pressure scale from 7 to 4, and the aid unwanted scale from 5 to 4 items. This procedure resulted in bias-free scales ready for screening purposes and application to further understand the help-seeking process of the hearing impaired.

Original languageEnglish
Article number159
Pages (from-to)49-57
Number of pages9
JournalAudiology Research
Volume6
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

Keywords

  • CONFIRMATORY FACTOR-ANALYSIS
  • FIT INDEXES
  • AIDS
  • IMPAIRMENT
  • ATTITUDES
  • OUTCOMES
  • PEOPLE
  • ADULTS

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