%0 Journal Article
%T Translation and validation of the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) into Kannada: a tool for clinical and research use in the Indian population.
%A Vasudevan H
%A Palaniswamy HP
%A Kanagokar V
%J Disabil Rehabil
%V 0
%N 0
%D 2024 Jul 11
%M 38989791
%F 2.439
%R 10.1080/09638288.2024.2375434
%X <B>UNASSIGNED: </B>The Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) is a widely recognized measure for evaluating tinnitus and is frequently used in both therapeutic and research contexts. Unfortunately, TFI is currently not available in any Indian languages. In a multilingual country like India, cross-cultural adaptation, translation, and validation of such scales in regional languages are critical to improving their use for clinical and research purposes. Therefore, this study focused on translating and validating the TFI in Kannada for use among the Indian population.<BR><B>UNASSIGNED: </B>The original version of TFI was translated with the help of audiologists and linguistic experts who were proficient in Kannada. The translated version was content validation by five audiologists and a cognitive debriefing by native speakers to check the familiarity of words. The final version (TFI-K) was then administered to 181 participants with tinnitus. Along with the TFI, other scales like Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) were also obtained to check the convergent validity. The obtained data was then subjected to various statistical analyses like internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, and factor analysis.<BR><B>UNASSIGNED: </B>The TFI-K was found to have an excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.974) and good convergent validity (p < 0.001; r = 0.778) with THI-K. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation showed communalities ranging from 0.64 to 0.91. Scree plots with the TFI-K component showed a sharp decline after the first factor and approximately four factors above the eigenvalue of 1. The factor analysis results suggest that the TFI-K has a structurally intact 8-factor loading, with a few exceptions that are discussed in detail.<BR><B>UNASSIGNED: </B>The TFI-K has demonstrated remarkable dependability and satisfactory integrity, making it a valuable tool for assessment and treatment planning in clinical and research settings.<BR>Tinnitus is known to impinge multiple domains.Assessing multiple domains provides a comprehensive understanding of the impact of tinnitus.Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) has been cross-culturally translated into Kannada.Tinnitus Functional Index in Kannada (TFI-K) is reliable and valid and can be used clinically and in research.