Vocal Fatigue in Dysphonic Teachers Who Seek Treatment
Vocal Fatigue in Dysphonic Teachers Who Seek Treatment
Vocal Fatigue in Dysphonic Teachers Who Seek Treatment
Descriptors ABSTRACT
Voice Purpose: to verify the self-perception of vocal fatigue of dysphonic teachers in school year activity who
Fatigue 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
Dysphonia Paulo (SinproSP), and 30 volunteers’ teachers who did not seek treatment (G2). All the participants answered
Teachers a personal identification protocol and work characterization, vocal self-assessment, vocal signs and symptoms
Questionnaires 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.
Speech Therapy
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.
Descritores RESUMO
Voz Objetivo: Verificar a autopercepção de fadiga vocal de professores disfônicos em atividade letiva que procuram
Fadiga atendimento fonoaudiológico. Método: Participaram desta pesquisa 60 professores com queixa vocal, dentre
estes, 30 que buscaram tratamento no Programa de Saúde Vocal do Sindicato dos Professores de São Paulo –
Disfonia SinproSP (G1) e 30 professores que não buscaram atendimento (G2). Todos os participantes responderam a
Professores um questionário de identificação, a um de caracterização pessoal e do trabalho, a uma lista de sinais e sintomas
Questionários vocais e ao Índice de Fadiga Vocal - IFV. Além disso, foram registradas contagem de números de 1 a 10 e vogal
sustentada “é” para definição do grau de desvio vocal por meio da análise perceptivo-auditiva. Resultados: Os
Fonoaudiologia
professores que procuraram o atendimento (G1) apresentaram piores escores nos protocolos IFV, maior número
de sinais e sintomas, além de pior autoavaliação da voz quando comparados aos professores que não procuraram
tratamento (G2). Além disso, os docentes dos dois grupos estudados apresentaram desvios de voz de leve a
moderado. Conclusão: Professores disfônicos que procuram atendimento fonoaudiológico apresentam maior
sensação de fadiga vocal, principalmente em relação aos domínios restrição vocal e desconforto físico do IFV.
Além disso, apresentaram maior número de sintomas e pior autoavaliação vocal em relação àqueles que não
procuraram o atendimento, apesar de ambos os grupos apresentarem vozes desviadas.
Correspondence address: Study conduct at Centro de Estudos da Voz – CEV - São Paulo (SP), Brasil, as a requirement for conclusion of
Mirna Abou-Rafée Curso de Especialização em Voz.
R. Machado Bittencourt, 361/1001, 1
Centro de Estudos da Voz – CEV - São Paulo (SP), Brasil.
Vila Mariana, São Paulo (SP), Brasil, 2
Sindicato dos Professores de São Paulo – SinproSP - São Paulo (SP), Brasil.
CEP: 04044-001.
Financial support: nothing to declare.
E-mail: [email protected]
Conflict of interests: nothing to declare.
Received: July 02, 2018
Roy et al.(13) was used. Among the evaluated items are: hoarseness; of deviation; 1, mild deviation; 2, moderate deviation; and
voice tires or changes quality after short use; trouble speaking 3, severe deviation. For intra-rater reliability analysis, 20%
or singing softly; difficulty projecting voice; loss of singing of the speech samples were repeated and the answers from
range; discomfort while using voice; a monotone voice; effort the judges with higher intra-rater reliability were considered
to talk; chronic throat dryness; chronic throat soreness; frequent (reliability 88.88%).
throat clearing; bitter or acid taste; swallowing difficulties and Data collection was performed between the evaluation
a wobbly or shaky voice. session and the first voice therapy session in order to eliminate
For the self-evaluation of vocal fatigue, the Brazilian possible external interference in the outcomes. Subsequently,
validated version of the Vocal Fatigue Index(9) was used. all individuals underwent conventional speech therapy in the
The Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) consists of 19 questions Programa de Saúde Vocal do Sindicato dos Professores de São
characterized by three factors: (1) factor 1, related to Paulo (SinproSP).
tiredness of voice and voice avoidance (questions 1 to 11); Statistical analysis was performed. The Shapiro-Wilk test
(2) factor 2, related to physical discomfort associated with was used to evidence the normal distribution between the groups,
voicing (questions 12 to 16), and (3) factor 3, related to non-parametric tests, such as Wilcoxon and Z-Test were used
improvement of symptoms with rest (questions 17 to 19). for proportions.
In factors 1 and 2, higher scores represent more disadvantage,
while in factor 3, higher scores represent more improvement RESULTS
of the symptoms, i.e., less symptoms. Each question varies
from a scale of 0 to 4, where 0 = never, 1 = almost never, Regarding voice self-assessment, the group of teachers
2 = sometimes, 3 = almost always, 4 = always. The protocol who sought treatment (G1) self-rated their voice as reasonable.
is calculated by the simple sum of the answers, and the total However, the group of teachers who did not seek treatment
score varies from 0 to 76: in the subscale of tiredness of (G2), self-rated their voice as good (p = 0.015). The groups
voice and voice avoidance, from 0 to 44; related to physical studied presented mild to moderate voice deviations, with no
discomfort associated with voicing, from 0 to 20; and related significant difference between them (p = 0.119).
to improvement of symptoms with rest, from 0 to 12(9). In relation to the Vocal Signs and Symptoms Checklist
To assess the perceptual judgment of the voice quality the (Table 2), G1 had higher occurrence of symptoms when compared
participants were instructed to count the numbers 1 to 10, and to G2 (7.8 SD = 3.33 Vs 4.7 SD = 2.6, p = 0.0004). The most
to phonate the sustained vowel “é” in comfortable pitch and frequent symptoms for G1 were: tired voice, speech discomfort,
loudness. Voices were recorded directly on a computer using the monotonous voice, effort to speak, throat pain, throat clearing
Fono View (CTS computing) program, with Andrea PureAudio and wobbly or shaky voice (Table 3).
USB external sound card and Karsect HT-2 head-mounted Concerning VFI, the mean scores of tiredness of voice and
microphone positioned at 45° microphone-to-mouth angle and voice avoidance and physical discomfort associated with voicing
2 cm from the mouth of the speaker. Three speech-language were higher in the group of teachers who sought treatment. In the
pathologists perceptually judged the overall voice quality factor of improvement of symptoms with rest, no differences
using a four-point scale, in which 0 indicated the absence were found between the two groups (Table 4).
Table 2. Total value of vocal signs and symptoms for teachers with and without vocal complaints
Signs and Symptoms
Groups Mean Median 25% 75% SD P Value
G1 7.833 9 5 10 3.333
0.0004*
G2 4.766 5 3 7 2.686
*Statistically significant difference
Caption: G1 - Group of teachers who sought treatment; G2 - Group of teachers who did not seek treatment; Significant values (p≤0.05) - WILCOXON test;
SD – Standard Deviation
Table 4. VFI scores for teachers with and without vocal complaints, by domain
Groups
Factors G1 G2 P
Mean Median 25% 75% SD Mean Median 25% 75% SD
Vocal Restriction 24.833 27 19 32 9.663 16.666 15 12 21 6.477 0.0007*
Physical Discomfort 7.733 6.5 2 13.25 5.514 4.500 4.5 1 7.25 3.235 0.0372*
Recovery (without inversion) 9.066 10 6 12 2.935 8.866 9 7 10 2.473 0.5633
Total 35.500 37 28.28 44.5 12.880 23.833 23.5 18 30.25 8.440 0.0003*
Recovery (with inversion) 2.933 2 0 6 2.935 2.666 2.5 2 3 1.988 0.8685
*Statistically significant difference
Caption: G1 - Group of teachers who sought treatment; G2 - Group of teachers who did not seek treatment; Significant values (p≤0.05) - WILCOXON test;
SD – Standard Deviation; VFI – Vocal Fatigue Index