Cardiovascular

Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI-TR) in Post-Stroke Aphasia.

Parlak M, Yıldırım Tutar C, Kavakci M, Bizpınar Munis & • Brain and behavior • 2026

TL;DR

The CETI-TR is a valid, reliable, and clinically applicable tool for assessing functional communication in Turkish-speaking individuals with post-stroke aphasia.

Key Findings

Results

The Turkish version of the Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI-TR) demonstrated excellent internal consistency.

Cronbach's alpha was 0.984, indicating excellent internal consistency
Item-total correlations ranged from 0.766 to 0.964 across all items
The study included 55 individuals with stroke (20 with aphasia, 35 without aphasia) and their caregivers
The adaptation process involved translation, back-translation, expert review, and pilot testing

Results

The CETI-TR showed high test-retest reliability, indicating stable measurements over time.

Test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs)
ICC for test-retest reliability was 0.972, indicating high stability
This cross-sectional study design included repeated measurement to assess reliability

Results

Cross-informant agreement between caregivers and speech-language therapists on CETI-TR ratings was high.

ICC between caregiver and clinician ratings was 0.936
There was no significant difference between caregiver and clinician ratings (p = 0.246)
This finding supports the use of caregiver-reported scores as a valid proxy for clinician assessment

Results

The CETI-TR showed moderate, statistically significant correlations with established aphasia assessment tools, supporting its criterion validity.

Correlation with the Language Assessment Test for Aphasia (LATA) was r = 0.439 (p = 0.001)
Correlation with the Quick Aphasia Battery-Turkish Version (QAB-TR) was r = 0.524 (p < 0.001)
Both correlations were characterized as moderate and significant
Criterion validity was examined through correlations with LATA and QAB-TR scores

Results

The CETI-TR successfully discriminated between individuals with aphasia and those without aphasia following stroke.

Individuals with aphasia had significantly lower CETI-TR scores than those without aphasia (p < 0.001)
The sample included 20 participants with aphasia and 35 without aphasia, all post-stroke
Discriminant validity was evaluated by comparing CETI-TR scores across these two groups

Background

A validated Turkish adaptation of the CETI was not previously available prior to this study.

The CETI is described as a widely used caregiver-reported measure of functional communication
No validated Turkish version existed before this study
The adaptation followed a systematic process including translation, back-translation, expert review, and pilot testing

What This Means

This research suggests that a newly developed Turkish version of the Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI-TR) is a trustworthy tool for measuring how well people communicate in everyday life after having a stroke that caused aphasia — a condition affecting the ability to speak, understand, read, or write. The study tested the tool with 55 stroke survivors (20 with aphasia and 35 without) and their caregivers, and found that the CETI-TR produces very consistent results both over time and across different raters, including caregivers and speech-language therapists. This means that caregivers can reliably report on a person's communication abilities without significant disagreement from clinical professionals. The CETI-TR also correlated meaningfully with other established aphasia tests and was able to distinguish between people who had aphasia and those who did not, supporting its usefulness as a clinical measurement tool. Importantly, the tool captures functional, real-world communication — such as how well someone can make needs known or participate in conversation — rather than just formal language test scores. This research matters because Turkish-speaking clinicians previously lacked a validated caregiver-reported tool for assessing everyday communication in people with aphasia. Having the CETI-TR available could help clinicians in Turkey better evaluate patients' functional communication abilities, plan rehabilitation interventions, and track progress over time in a way that reflects real-life communication needs.

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Citation

Parlak M, Y&#x131;ld&#x131;r&#x131;m Tutar C, Kavakci M, Bizp&#x131;nar Munis &. (2026). Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI-TR) in Post-Stroke Aphasia.. Brain and behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.71711

Key Findings

What This Means

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