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. 2023 Nov 1;13(11):1568.
doi: 10.3390/jpm13111568.

Measuring Perceived Voice Disorders and Quality of Life among Female University Teaching Faculty

Nisreen Naser Al Awaji  1 , Khaled Abdulraheem Alghamdi  2 , Abdullah Mohammed Alfaris  2 , Rahaf Zamil Alzamil  1 , Lojain Naser Alhijji  1 , Ghaida Saad Alyehya  1 , Shadan Mohammed Al Harbi  1 , Eman M Mortada  3
Affiliations

Measuring Perceived Voice Disorders and Quality of Life among Female University Teaching Faculty

Nisreen Naser Al Awaji et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

Background: Occupations that require heavy vocal use can place the person at risk of voice disorders (VDs). Heavy demands on the voice, especially for a long time or with loud back-ground noise, can lead to vocal abuse or misuse. The study aimed to measure the prevalence of perceived voice disorders among the teaching faculty at a female university, identify the risk fac-tors that affect their voice, and determine the effect of perceived voice disorders on their quality of life (QoL).

Methods: The study sample consisted of female teaching faculty (N = 401). The ques-tionnaire included general sociodemographic data, general voice data, the vocal tract discomfort (VTD) scale, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment (WHOQOL)-BREF.

Results: The results demonstrated that 44.1% of the participants had perceived voice disorders, and stress, reflux, and asthma had a significant relationship with self-perceived voice disorders. Furthermore, the data showed that self-perceived voice disorders negatively impacted the overall QoL of teaching faculty.

Conclusions: Perceived voice disorders are affected by various factors, including health conditions, medications, and lifestyle choices. Although teaching characteristics and demo-graphic factors are believed to be the cause, in this study they did not significantly contribute to perceived voice disorders. Faculty members with perceived voice disorders have a poorer quality of life, highlighting the need for education on preventative vocal measures and awareness of voice care.

Keywords: females; quality of life; self-perceived voice disorders; teaching faculty.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Frequency of perceived voice-related symptoms experienced during or after teaching in both study groups (N = 401).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Severity of voice-related symptoms felt during or after teaching in both study groups (N = 401).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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