Voice quality in relation to voice complaints and vocal fold condition during the screening of female student teachers.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptual examination of voice quality with the condition of the vocal folds and voice complaints during voice screening in female student teachers. METHODS: This research was a cross-sectional study in 214 starting student teachers using the four-point grade scale of the GRBAS and laryngostroboscopic assessment of the vocal folds. The voice quality was assessed by speech pathologists using the ordinal 4-point G-scale (overall dysphonia) of the GRBAS method in a running speech sample. Glottal closure and vocal fold lesions were recorded. A questionnaire was used for assessing voice complaints. RESULTS: More students with an insufficient glottal closure (89%) were rated dysphonic compared with students with sufficient glottal closure (80%). Students with sufficient glottal closure had a significantly lower mean G-score (1.21) compared with the group with insufficient glottal closure (1.52) (P = 0.038). This study showed a larger percentage of students with vocal fold lesions (96%) labeled a dysphonic voice compared to students with no vocal fold problems (81%). Students with no vocal fold lesions had a significantly lower mean G-score (1.20) compared with the group with vocal fold lesions (2.05) (P=0.002). A dysphonic voice (G≥1) was rated in 76% of the students without voice complaints compared with 86% of the students with voice complaints. Students with no voice complaints had a lower mean G-score (1.07) compared with the group with voice complaints (1.41) (P=0.090). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that perceptual assessment of the voice and voice complaints is not sufficient to check if the future professional is at risk. Therefore, preventive measures are needed to detect students at risk early in their education and this depends on broader assessment: on the one hand, assessing voice quality and voice complaints and on the other hand, examination of the vocal folds of all starting students.

Biopsychosocial impact of the voice in relation to the psychological features in female student teachers.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess biopsychosocial impact of the voice in relation to the psychological features in female student teachers. METHODS: This research was a cross-sectional study in 755 student teachers using general questionnaires, the Voice Handicap Inventory (VHI), Type D Scale-16, Symptom Check List (SCL-90), and Utrecht Coping List (UCL). Student teachers with a relative high score on the VHI (>75th percentile) and students with a relative low score (<25th percentile) were compared. RESULTS: Type D student teachers had a 4x greater risk of a high VHI-score (OR 4.23) than the non-type-D group. The student teachers with relative high VHI scores scored significantly higher (P<.001) on the SCL-90 total and all subscales, compared to the student teachers with relative low VHI scores. Furthermore, the students with a relative high VHI score had significant high scores on the subscales passive attitude (P<.001), palliative reactions (P<.001), avoidance and a waiting attitude (P<.001), and expression of emotions (P=.003) of the UCL. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a relative high biopsychosocial impact of the voice is related to the personality trait Type D, psychosomatic well-being and coping strategies in female student teachers. These features should be implemented in screening and training programs for students for a voice demanding profession. The students have to be prepared to cope with psychological, physical and vocal demands of the teaching profession. The speech therapist (of the vocational university) has to be aware of an important role in coaching the students into a more active coping attitude.