Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

• Fariba Mojiri ¹
• Akram Ahmadi ²
• Akbar Hasanzade ³

¹ Academic Member, Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

² MSc Student, Department of Speech Therapy, Student Research Committee, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

³ Academic Member, Department of Statistics, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Among professional voice users, teachers are more vulnerable to voice problems. Affecting other aspects of their lives, this problemsmay result in frequent absenteeism and occupational disabilities. Voice disorders are defined as an array of self-reported symptoms and clinically-observed signs. The degree of handicap reported by a patient depends on the occupation held, living and work-place environments and reactions brought by family members and friends to disordered voice quality. Studies that have focused on the handicap caused by voice disorders reveal contradictory and various findings. In this study, the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) scores of teachers with voice disorders and those of nonprofessional voice patients were compared. Materials and Methods: In this analytic-descriptive study, 32 teachers (of both sexes) with various voice disorders and 32 nonprofessional voice patients were evaluated. Although the participants of this study were aware of their voice problems, an acoustic analysis was conducted for each subject to prove his/her voice disorders. Both groups completed Voice Handicap Index questionnaire. Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive and analytic procedures including independent t test and Pearson’s regression coefficient. Results: VHI mean scores (x ̅ = 32.2) were significantly greater in teachers than in their nonprofessional counterparts (x ̅ = 23.3) (P = 0.01).There was a correlation between the years of teaching and VHI scores. There were no sex differences between men and women in both groups. Conclusion: Voice disorders with relatively similar clinical signs may differentially affect different occupations. Teachers, who constitute one the major groups of professional voice users, may experience more limitations in their lives due to various voice disorders. Thus, paying appropriate attention to this issue is of particular importance in therapeutic programming. Keywords: Voice Handicap Index (VHI), Teachers, Professional voice users