The Validation of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale SSQ12 for Native Romanian Speakers with and without Hearing Impairment

Background: The perceived impact of hearing loss varies considerably among those affected due to the heterogeneous types of hearing loss, their diverse etiologies, and the different rehabilitation possibilities. Therefore, assessing listening skills in a daily context using questionnaires is essential. This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the adapted version of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale 12 (SSQ12) in the Romanian language. Materials and Methods: The SSQ12 is a 12-item self-reporting questionnaire that assesses a range of everyday listening situations. The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity of the r-SSQ12 questionnaire resulting from the adaptation of the original scale were investigated. Results: The responses of 183 subjects aged between 11 and 79 years were evaluated. In total, 121 subjects had hearing loss (19 adolescents), and 62 subjects had normal hearing (11 adolescents). Significant differences were observed in the means of the overall score and for individual items between normal-hearing subjects and subjects with hearing loss. The SSQ12 had high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.97), and the test-retest scores were highly correlated. Conclusions: The SSQ12 scale can be used to investigate the self-reporting of hearing quality in both general populations to identify hearing disorders and populations with hearing loss.