The Korean Version of the Singing Voice Handicap Index

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to generate a Korean version of the Singing Voice Handicap Index (K-SVHI) and to test whether application of the K-SVHI would be plausible for patients with voice disorders. Methods: Subjects who participated in the study were 130 vocalists, including 90 normal and 40 dysphonic vocalists. The group of normal vocalists consisted of 30 students majoring in vocal music, 30 members of the chorus and 30 performing musicians. The Korean version of SVHI was translated into Korean from the English version. Three different types of rating tools were used to document the subject's perception of the handicap of Korean vocalists: the first item of Iowa Patient's Voice Index (IPVI), VHI and K-SVHI. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability and concurrent validity were assessed as well as group differences. Results: The results of this study are summarized as follows. 1) There was a high internal consistency between items of K-SVHI. Test-retest reliability was extremely high. With regards to the concurrent validity, Spearman correlation between the K-SVHI and IPVI's first item was high in the dysphonic vocalists group. 2) Dysphonic vocalists had higher K-SVHI scores compared to normal vocalists. 3) Three normal vocalist groups showed significant differences from each other when analyzed with the ANOVA. Students majoring in vocal music received significantly higher scores than members of the chorus, and members of the chorus had higher scores than the performing musicians. Conclusion: The K-SVHI seems to be a useful psychometric instrument for assessing the voice handicap of Korean vocalists with voice problems.