A factor analysis of the SSQ (Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale)
Open Access
- 9 September 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in International Journal of Audiology
- Vol. 53 (2), 101-114
- https://doi.org/10.3109/14992027.2013.824115
Abstract
Objective: The speech, spatial, and qualities of hearing questionnaire (SSQ) is a self-report test of auditory disability. The 49 items ask how well a listener would do in many complex listening situations illustrative of real life. The scores on the items are often combined into the three main sections or into 10 pragmatic subscales. We report here a factor analysis of the SSQ that we conducted to further investigate its statistical properties and to determine its structure. Design: Statistical factor analysis of questionnaire data, using parallel analysis to determine the number of factors to retain, oblique rotation of factors, and a bootstrap method to estimate the confidence intervals. Study sample: 1220 people who have attended MRC IHR over the last decade. Results: We found three clear factors, essentially corresponding to the three main sections of the SSQ. They are termed "speech understanding", "spatial perception", and "clarity, separation, and identification". Thirty-five of the SSQ questions were included in the three factors. There was partial evidence for a fourth factor, "effort and concentration", representing two more questions. Conclusions: These results aid in the interpretation and application of the SSQ and indicate potential methods for generating average scores.Keywords
This publication has 51 references indexed in Scilit:
- Self-assessed hearing abilities in middle- and older-age adults: A stratified sampling approachInternational Journal of Audiology, 2011
- The effect of hearing impairment on localization dominance for single-word stimuliThe Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2011
- Functional benefit of the bone-anchored hearing aid with different auditory profiles: objective and subjective measuresClinical Otolaryngology, 2011
- Successful and unsuccessful users of bilateral amplification: Differences and similarities in binaural performanceInternational Journal of Audiology, 2010
- Older adults’ performance on the speech, spatial, and qualities of hearing scale (SSQ): Test-retest reliability and a comparison of interview and self-administration methodsInternational Journal of Audiology, 2010
- Validation of the Spatial Hearing QuestionnaireEar & Hearing, 2009
- Exploring the Sensitivity of Horn's Parallel Analysis to the Distributional Form of Random DataMultivariate Behavioral Research, 2009
- Unilateral and bilateral cochlear implants and the implant-plus-hearing-aid profile: Comparing self-assessed and measured abilitiesInternational Journal of Audiology, 2008
- The Scree Test For The Number Of FactorsMultivariate Behavioral Research, 1966
- The Application of Electronic Computers to Factor AnalysisEducational and Psychological Measurement, 1960