Validity and Reliability of the Korean Version of the Communication Acceptance Scale Questionnaire

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop the Korean version of the Communication and Acceptance Scale (KCAS) and to examine its validity and reliability. Methods: The 18 items of the Communication and Acceptance Scale questionnaire were translated into Korean following the steps of forward translation, expert panel review, back-translation, pre-testing, cognitive interviewing, and final version refinement. For the test-retest evaluation of the KCAS, 39 adults with hearing loss participated. Concurrent validity was also assessed by evaluating the Korean Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (KHHIE). Results: The KCAS was constructed with a total of 16 question items after excluding 2 items (2 and 18) that failed reliability tests. Cronbach’s α for all 16 items was 0.89, and the Wilcoxon-Signed rank test indicated test-retest reliability. A significant negative correlation (rho = -0.77) was observed between KCAS and KHHIE. Conclusion: The KCAS questionnaire has been demonstrated to be a reliable and valid tool. It is also useful for assessing communication difficulties and the utilization of communication strategies among the hearing impaired.