Factor structure of the VDCQ (Welch et al., 2025)

<p dir="ltr"><b>Purpose: </b>The purpose of this study is twofold. First, we sought to replicate the reported factor structure of the Voice Disability Coping Questionnaire (VDCQ) in a sample of patients diagnosed with a chronic voice disorder. Second, we sought to examine how the factors of the VDCQ relate to perceived voice handicap and perceived stress in these patients.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Method: </b>Participants diagnosed with laryngeal dystonia (<i>n</i> = 78) and/or essential vocal tremor (<i>n</i> = 27) were recruited to participate in a cross-sectional survey research study. Participants completed the VDCQ, the Voice Handicap Index–10 (VHI-10), the Perceived Stress Scale–4 (PSS-4), and self-reported overall coping. Part 1 uses common factor analysis to test the hypothesized factor structure of the VDCQ. Part 2 uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the hypothesized relationships between the VDCQ factors and the other measures.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Results: </b>Confirmatory factor analysis did not support the VDCQ’s hypothesized three- or four-factor solutions. Subsequent exploratory factor analysis demonstrated a two-factor solution fit the data well, that is, Proactive Social Coping and Passive/Avoidant Coping. Results of the SEM demonstrate that the Passive/Avoidant Coping factor is significantly associated with the VHI-10 and PSS-4 and inversely related to self-reported overall coping.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Conclusions: </b>Although neither the original three- or four-factor solution fit the data well, this study provides additional psychometric support for a two-factor solution of the VDCQ. These two factors closely resemble the initial factor structure and meaningfully relate to perceived vocal handicap, stress, and perceived overall coping.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Supplemental Material S1.</b> Further information about model respecification.</p><p dir="ltr">Welch, B., Lewandowski, A., Gartner-Schmidt, J., & Smith, L. J. (2025). Examining the factor structure of the Voice Disability Coping Questionnaire in individuals with laryngeal dystonia and essential vocal tremor. <i>Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research</i>. Advance online publication. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00175" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00175</a></p>