Vocal fatigue in dysphonic teachers who seek treatment

ABSTRACT

Purpose  to verify the self-perception of vocal fatigue of dysphonic teachers in school year activity who sought speech-language pathology assistance.

Methods  Sixty teachers with voice complaints participated in the study, 30 of whom sought treatment in the Programa de Saúde Vocal do Sindicato dos Professores de São Paulo (SinproSP), and 30 volunteers’ teachers who did not seek treatment (G2). All the participants answered a personal identification protocol and work characterization, vocal self-assessment, vocal signs and symptoms checklist, Vocal Fatigue Index protocol (VFI). In addition, a number counting from 1 to 10 and sustained vowel “e” were registered for the definition of the mean vocal deviation using perceptual-auditory judgment.

Results  Teachers who sought treatment (G1) obtained worst scores in the VFI, more numbers of signs and symptoms, and worst self-evaluation of the voice when compared with those who did not seek treatment (G2). In addition, teachers in both groups had light to moderate vocal deviation.

Conclusion  Dysphonic teachers who sought vocal treatment presented greater sensation of vocal fatigue, especially in the factors of tiredness of voice and voice avoidance and related to physical discomfort associated with voicing of the VFI. In addition, they reported greater number of symptoms and worse vocal self-assessment in relation to those who did not seek treatment, although both groups present deviated voices.

Descriptors Voice; Fatigue; Dysphonia; Teachers; Questionnaires; Speech Therapy