Validity of the French Version of Deafness Questionnaires for Children and Adolescents
Condition: Deafness
MeSH terms: Deafness; Hearing Loss
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The care of deafness in children is difficult and the relevance of interventions is difficult
      to evaluate based on audiometric measurements alone.

      Generic pediatric quality of life tools have been validated and used, among other things, to
      assess the quality of life of children with deafness. However, these non-specific tools do
      not make it possible to precisely target which factors and interventions are the most
      important for the quality of life in this population.

      Achieving a score to monitor the quality of life objectively over time is fundamental to
      verify the effectiveness of interventions, and assess the impact on the child. There is
      currently no validated test in French for any of these uses and populations.

      The objective of the study is to adapt the questionnaires "PEACH", "SSQ child (SSQ-C)" and
      "SSQ parents (SSQ-P)" to the French child, and statistically measure their internal and
      external validity by comparing them to a control group.

      The validation of these three tests (PEACH, SSQ-P, SSQ-C) would make it possible to assess
      the hearing performance and quality of life of almost the entire pediatric population, for
      use in both clinical and academic practice.
    

Detailed description: 
      Neonatal sensorineural hearing loss is a frequent pathology, affecting around 800 newborns
      per year in France, or an incidence of 0.8 to 1.3 per 1000 births, comparable to other
      industrialized countries. It can affect the development of speech and language and lead to
      impaired quality of life.

      Studies have shown that children with hearing loss score lower on general quality-of-life
      measurement tools, compared to their normal-hearing peers. A poorer quality of life in
      patients with sensorineural hearing loss may also reflect physical, academic, social or
      emotional difficulties. They are also exposed to an increased risk of poor development of
      language and social skills, as well as an increased risk of developing psychiatric
      pathologies.

      The care of deafness in children is difficult and the relevance of interventions is difficult
      to evaluate based on audiometric measurements alone.

      Generic pediatric quality of life tools have been validated and used, among other things, to
      assess the quality of life of children with deafness. However, these non-specific tools do
      not make it possible to precisely target which factors and interventions are the most
      important for the quality of life in this population.

      Achieving a score to monitor the quality of life objectively over time is fundamental to
      verify the effectiveness of interventions, and assess the impact on the child. There is
      currently no validated test in French for any of these uses and populations.

      The Parents' Evaluation of Aural/Oral Performance of Children (PEACH) is a hetero-evaluation
      score used to study the quality of a child's communication from an early age (from 4 months
      in some studies) and up to 13 years. This tool is specifically designed for children with
      hearing aids or a cochlear implant. It has been translated into Swedish and Spanish and used
      in numerous international publications.

      The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) is an adult self-assessment score
      assessing, in three categories, the performance of speech comprehension, spatial hearing and
      hearing quality. It is widely used internationally in its adult version.

      This adult score has been adapted and used for the pediatric population in a
      hetero-evaluation score by parents (SSQ-P) from 5 years old, and a simplified score (SSQ-C)
      usable by children> 11 years.

      In addition, the authors of the adult SSQ also prepared and validated a Handicap
      questionnaire to target the impact of hearing loss on quality of life, and integrated into
      the SSQ self-assessment.

      The objective of the study is to adapt the questionnaires "PEACH", "SSQ child (SSQ-C)" and
      "SSQ parents (SSQ-P)" to the French child, and statistically measure their internal and
      external validity by comparing them to a control group.

      The validation of these three tests (PEACH, SSQ-P, SSQ-C) would make it possible to assess
      the hearing performance and quality of life of almost the entire pediatric population, for
      use in both clinical and academic practice.
    

Intervention name(s): Questionnaires
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Children 12 months to 5 years old will receive PEACH alone, children 5 years old to 11 years old will receive PEACH and SSQ-P, and children and adolescents over 11 years old will receive SSQ-P and SSQ-C (even between 11 and 13 years old, the PEACH also).
Questionnaires will be completed twice, 15 days apart.
Other intervention name(s): The Parents' Evaluation of Aural/Oral Performance of Children (PEACH). The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ)
Observational model: Case-Control
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Patients followed by the Pediatric ENT department of Necker-Enfants Malades hospital.
      
Keywords: Deafness; Children; SSQ questionnaire; PEACH questionnaire