Relationship between voice impairment and stress coping styles in professionally active teachers

Abstract

Background and aim The cause of voice problems in teachers are excessive voice strain, improper voice emission, and wrong emotional responses to occupational stress. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between subjective voice assessment of professionally active teachers treated for voice disorders and their stress-coping styles. Methods The study included 174 female teachers participating in a 24-day voice rehabilitation program at a sanatorium hospital. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) self-assessment questionnaire was used to subjectively assess voice impairment. The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) questionnaire was used to assess coping styles. The VHI and CISS questionnaires were administered to the teachers at the beginning of the rehabilitation stay. Results Emotion-focused coping was shown to be associated with the subjective assessment of voice dysfunction as assessed by the VHI questionnaire for the total score and all of its dimensions (p = 0.04). Conclusions In addition to proper voice emission, the prevention and rehabilitation of occupational voice disorders in teachers should also include stress management techniques, as this can help reduce the incidence of functional voice disorders in this occupational group.