Adaptation and Validation of Hindi Version of Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (H-VTDS)

Abstract

Human voice plays a vital role for communication, self-expression and professional roles. Professional voice users (PVUs) such as singers, teachers, pastors and so on experience significant vocal tract discomfort due to occupational demands. This study aims to translate, adapt and validate the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) into Hindi (H-VTDS). A total of 40 individuals further classified into 30 PVUs (10 each: singers, teachers, pastors; aged 20-50 years, ≥2 years’ experience) and 10 normal participated in the study. Phase 1 involved forward/backward translation and expert validation. Phase 2 assessed content validity. Phase 3 evaluated test - retest reliability (14 -day interval, Pearson's r). Kruskal-Wallis tests compared group differences (SPSS v 23.0, p<0.05). Test-retest reliability was excellent (r=0.932, p<0.001). Pre-assessment of all groups showed negligible symptoms. Post assessment revealed highly significant differences across most symptoms (burning, tight, dry, aching, tickling, sore and irritable) between PVUs and normal, except "lump in throat" remained non-significant (p=0.988 frequency, p=0.324 severity). Hence, the implementation of self-assessment scales like the H-VTDS is important for the comprehensive assessment and treatment of voice disorders in PVUs.