engleski

Subjective voice complaints among schoolteachers

Teachers all around the world have no vocal preparation during their studies although they will be using their voices at full power. Voice disorders may have a profound influence on their lives and may cause various professional, social and emotional hardships. Vocal fatigue is common voice complaint and is frequently the consequence of vocal abuse, misuse and overuse. Its symptoms are various and include decrease in frequency and dynamic range, voice breaks, loss of voice, changes in overall voice quality noticeable as hoarse, breathy or rough voice, running out of breath, etc. On the other hand, the voice itself may not change at all, and no laryngeal pathology in terms of morphological abnormalities is to be found even though the patients may experience severe complaints. A wide spectrum of these complaints that are difficult to quantify include discomfort, pain, dryness or tension in the throat, neck and shoulders, difficulties in swallowing, tiredness, a need to cough or clear the throat. The data based on a survey conducted in Croatia, revealed that schoolteachers (N=62) do experience voice problems throughout their carrers. Eighty-seven percent of the teachers share the opinion that teaching is high-risk profession for voice disorder, so no wonder that 73% of them would like to attend voice workshops if given a chance. Thirty-three percent of the teachers were smokers. Sixty-three percent of the teachers reported to have experienced vocal fatigue. Half of the teachers reported to experience it after working hours, showing that teaching indeed is a trigger of this disorder. Forty-two percent of the teachers avoided speaking when vocally fatigued. This phonophobia may affect broad range of daily activities such as communicating with family members and friends. The most frequent complaint was hoarseness followed by some physical problems such as dryness in the throat, a need for throat clearing not related to cold, tension and discomfort in throat and neck. Deeper voice pitch than normal was also among the most frequent complaints. Others were voice breaks, unstable voice pitch, voice loss and difficulties in maintaining stable vocal loudness. The results showed that teachers want to develop professionally. Indeed they deserve voice training programs in order to become aware of their voices and avoid getting injured. Additionally, it was shown that vocal fatigue is a frequent problem in the teaching profession, and that it does not affect vocal functioning only, but may also cause adverse effects in the physical, professional, emotional and social domain. Thus, the measurement of quality of life, which has not been a traditional part of clinical voice evaluation, need to be considered thorougly.

voice, teachers, vocal fatigue, subjective voice complaints, quality of life, voice hygiene program

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