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DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811624
Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of a questionnaire for assessing hyperacusis in Williams syndrome
Abstract
Background
Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic, multisystemic, and neurodevelopmental disorder. The prevalence of auditory hypersensitivity in WS is high, especially in childhood, with reports in the literature from 94 to 100% of individuals evaluated, which can generate significant impacts on their quality of life. Therefore, the existence of instruments for screening hyperacusis that are easy and quick to apply for use in clinical routine is essential.
Objective
To translate and perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the Hyperacusis Screening Questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese.
Methods
A questionnaire concerning auditory hypersensitivity in WS was translated by two translators who are fluent in English. After the synthesis of the translations, back-translation was performed to analyze similarity, a meeting of the expert committee for semantic and linguistic adaptation of the instrument was held, and pretesting and validation of content and appearance was conducted.
Results
The translated and adapted version of the questionnaire was similar to the original regarding general and referential meaning. Answers from 324 families of individuals with WS were included, 85.2% of those reported hyperacusis as a ongoing symptom.
Conclusion
The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the questionnaire were performed according to the methodology recommended in the literature, with necessary equivalences being made for the Brazilian reality. The instrument developed and tested in the present study proved to be useful in screening for hyperacusis in the population with WS, allowing its use in future investigations on the subject and comparison with other studies.
Authors' Contributions
Conceptualization: AGS, CGM; Data curation: JAN, LPM, LAFS; Formal analysis: LAFS; Investigation: JAN, LPM; Methodology: AGS, CGM; Project administration: AGS, CGM; Supervision: AGS, CGM; Visualization: AGS, CGM; Writing – original draft: JAN, LPM; Writing – review & editing: JAN, LPM, LAFS, AGS, CGM.
Data Availability Statement
To protect sensitive data about the participants, no further data will only be available.
Editor-in-Chief: Hélio A. G. Teive. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2305-1073.
Associate Editor: Aline Chacon Pereira. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2287-4038.
Publikationsverlauf
Eingereicht: 20. März 2025
Angenommen: 28. Juni 2025
Artikel online veröffentlicht:
08. September 2025
© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda.
Rua Rego Freitas, 175, loja 1, República, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01220-010, Brazil
Jacqueline Aquino do Nascimento, Lucas Pinto Mielle, Liliane Aparecida Fagundes Silva, Alessandra Giannella Samelli, Carla Gentile Matas. Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of a questionnaire for assessing hyperacusis in Williams syndrome. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2025; 83: s00451811624.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811624
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