Development and Validation of the Voice Catastrophization Index.

INTRODUCTION: Catastrophization is a cognitive distortion that has been studied in pain patients and found to be a significant factor in their disability and response to treatment. Dysphonia patients may demonstrate a similar behavior, suggesting the existence of voice catastrophization.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the validity of the Voice Catastrophization Index (VCI), a new instrument estimating voice symptoms catastrophization.

METHODS: A prospective study. Patients with and without voice conditions were administered with the VCI, Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)questionnaires. Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) rating was determined for patients with voice conditions.

RESULTS: Ninety-one patients participated, 65 with voice conditions and 26 without. 61.5% were females; mean age was 49.8 ± 15.7 years. The VCI score for patients with voice conditions was significantly higher, 22.46 ± 16.56, compared with 3.96 ± 10.79, respectively (P value < 0.0001). The VCI demonstrated moderate correlation with both V-RQOL and GAD-7 scores: -0.562 and 0.560, respectively (P value < 0.000001); however, it showed no correlation with the CAPE-V. The VCI's internal consistency with each of its three dimensions and 13 items was acceptable to strong. The reproducibility and stability was demonstrated in a subgroup of 26 patients; 81% of these patients had a difference of 10 or less points between the two evaluations.

CONCLUSIONS: The VCI accomplished the requirements of a scale's validity for estimation of voice symptoms catastrophization in voice patients. The potential role of voice catastrophization as a predictor of treatment response and tailoring can now be investigated using the VCI.