Background: The Self-Evaluation of Communication Experiences after Laryngeal Cancer (SECEL) questionnaire assesses the impact of total laryngectomy on communication-related quality of life (QOL). This study evaluates the Italian version of the SECEL (I-SECEL), including reliability, concurrent validity, and differences in scores between patients who undergo either total laryngectomy or partial laryngectomy.
Methods: Eighty patients who underwent either total laryngectomy or partial laryngectomy completed the I-SECEL twice and the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaires once. Voice recordings were used for objective and perceptual assessment.
Results: The I-SECEL demonstrated good test-retest reliability and internal consistency for 2 of 3 subscales. Correlations were moderate to strong between most of the I-SECEL scales and the VHI/SF-36 scales. The I-SECEL scales demonstrated moderate associations with most perceptual and objective measures.
Conclusion: Preliminary evidence supports the convergent validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency of the I-SECEL, notwithstanding low internal consistency and test-retest reliability for 1 subscale.
Keywords: SECEL; communication; laryngeal cancer; quality of life; voice.
Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.