Using a visual analog scale (VAS) to measure tinnitus-related distress and loudness: Investigating correlations using the Mini-TQ results of participants from the TrackYourTinnitus platform

Introduction: Tinnitus, a perception of ringing and buzzing sound in the ear, has not been completely understood yet. It is well known that tinnitus-related distress and loudness can change over time. However, proper comparability for the data collection approaches requires further focused studies. In this context, technology such as the use of mobile devices may be a promising approach. Repeated assessments of tinnitus-related distress and loudness in Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) studies require a short assessment, and a Visual Analogic Scale (VAS) is often used in this context. Yet, their comparability with psychometric questionnaires remains unclear and thus was the focus of this study. Research goals: The evaluation of the appropriateness of VAS in measuring tinnitus-related distress and loudness is pursued in this paper. Methods: The Mini Tinnitus Questionnaire (Mini-TQ) measured tinnitus-related distress once. Tinnitus-related distress and tinnitus loudness were measured repeatedly using VAS on a daily basis during 7 days in the TrackYourTinnitus (TYT) smartphone app and were summarized per day using mean and median results. Then, correlations between summarized VAS tinnitus-related distress and summarized VAS tinnitus loudness, on the one side, and Mini-TQ, on the other side, were calculated. Results: Correlations between Mini-TQ and VAS tinnitus-related distress ranged between r = 0.36 and r = 0.52, while correlations between Mini-TQ and VAS tinnitus loudness ranged between r = 0.25 and r = 0.36. The more time difference between the Mini-TQ and the VAS assessments is, the lower the correlations between them. Mean and median VAS values per day resulted in similar correlations. Conclusions: Mobile-based VAS seems to be an appropriate approach to utilize daily measurements of tinnitus-related distress.