Voice Symptoms, Perceived Voice Control, and Common Mental Disorders in Elementary School Teachers

Abstract

Evaluating the relationship among teachers' voice symptoms, perceived voice control, and common mental disorders (CMDs) might contribute to the understanding of the relationship between vocal wear and the teacher well-being. The understanding of this relationship may also help in taking more informed clinical decisions in voice rehabilitation when considering possible perceived voice control difficulties and the need to develop voice self-control strategies. The aim of this study was to determine the voice symptoms, perceived voice control, and CMDs in public elementary and secondary school teachers, and to analyze the relationships among these variables. The study included 85 public elementary and secondary school teachers of both genders. Four instruments were used to measure the variables: an identification and characterization questionnaire, the Voice Symptom Scale, the Present Perceived Control of Voice scale, and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire. A significant correlation between voice symptoms and CMDs was found, along with correlations between the emotional domain of the Voice Symptom Scale and teachers' ages and years of teaching. A negative correlation between CMDs and voice self-control was also observed. Teachers with voice symptoms had more CMD symptoms, and as the number of mental disorder symptoms increased, voice self-control decreased.