Measuring cochlear implant satisfaction in postlingually deafened adults with the SADL inventory.

BACKGROUND Cochlear implants (CI) have become widely used for the management of profound sensorineural hearing loss. However, data relative to satisfaction in CI users are not so readily available. No standard outcome inventory for CI users has been developed. The Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life (SADL) inventory was originally developed for hearing aid users by Cox and Alexander (1999). Because the SADL inventory has been shown to have good psychometric properties for use within hearing aid users, the present study adapted the SADL for CI use and assessed the validity and reliability of the adapted version. PURPOSE (1) To explore the factor structure (i.e., subscales), validity, and reliability of the SADL inventory applied to CI users and compare the resulting factor structure to that reported by Cox and Alexander (1999) for hearing aid users; and (2) to evaluate the satisfaction level of CI users as measured by the SADL inventory and compare the satisfaction level of unilateral CI users (CI-only) to that of users of a CI and hearing aid in opposite ears (CIHA). RESEARCH DESIGN A cross-sectional survey. All CIHA users in this study voluntarily elected to wear their hearing aids in conjunction with their CIs. STUDY SAMPLE The satisfaction level of postlingually deafened adult CI users was assessed for 100 CI-only and 35 CIHA users using the SADL inventory. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS The psychometric properties of the adapted SADL following administration to CI-only and CIHA users were examined through a factor analysis. RESULTS A similar factor structure was found for CI-only users compared to the original published SADL data. The differences were primarily related to one particular factor. CI users have a moderately high satisfaction level. No significant differences were found between the CI-only and CIHA groups except for hearing aid feedback. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that the SADL is appropriate for clinical use with CI users.