Voice-Related Quality of Life, Anxiety, and Depression in Female Teachers: Finger Kazoo Intensive Short-Term Vocal Therapy

Abstract

Among professional voice users, teachers are subject to higher risks of developing occupational dysphonia due to their abusive use of the voice, usually under unfavorable conditions. Quantify the vocal self-perception, the voice-related quality of life, and the anxiety, and depression symptoms, of dysphonic female teachers, after a brief and intensive short-term voice therapy using the finger kazoo technique. Blinded, randomized, and controlled clinical trial. Questionnaires applied to two study groups (15 subjects without structural laryngeal disorder in one group, and nine subjects with vocal nodules in the other), and to two control groups (9 subjects without structural laryngeal disorder in one group, and eight subjects with vocal nodules in the other). The Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale, the Voice Activity and Participation Profile, the Voice Symptom Scale, and the Voice-Related Quality of Life Protocol, showed significant improvement in both study groups. The Vocal Perception Protocol showed that negative vocal self-perception reduced significantly in subjects without structural alteration of the vocal folds in the study group. Anxiety symptoms improved significantly in subjects with vocal nodules in the study group; depression symptoms improved significantly in subjects with vocal nodules in the control group, and in subjects without structural alteration of the vocal folds in the study group. Brief and intensive short-term voice therapy using the finger kazoo technique provided improvement in the vocal self-perception, the voice-related quality of life, and in the symptoms of anxiety and depression in dysphonic teachers, more evidently in teachers with vocal nodules.