Coping strategies and profile voice activities participation in teachers of public schools with and without voice disorders

Abstract:PURPOSE:verifying the association between the voice disorder, with the socio-demographic characteristics, vocal aspects, the types of coping strategies, and the vocal impact on daily activities of teachers from State Schools of Alagoas.METHODS:110 teachers were submitted to a perceptive-hearing analysis, to a protocol called Condition of Vocal Production of the Teacher, a protocol of Coping Strategies of dysphonia, and a Profile of Participation and Vocal Activities. By using the Visual-Analogue Scale the level of voice disorder was assessed: up to 35,5mm without presenting a disorder and over 35,5mm presenting a disorder. Statistical analyses were carried out, such as mean, standard deviation, medium, The Pearson chi-squared test and the Exact Fisher test measures.RESULTS:the percentages with voice disorder were higher among those who had taught for 11 to 20 years (44,6%), and those who had taught at two or three schools(49,1%). The teachers who had missed because of voice disorder and secretion/catarrh in the throat presented an association with the presence of voice disorder. Teachers in the two groups tended to allow the use of strategies as focus on the problem and did not differ in relation to the vocal impact in the daily activities.CONCLUSION:teachers who have been working for more than 11 years, used to teach at two or more schools. They would always miss work because they had change of voice and had some vocal symptoms such as catarrh/secretion in the throat and they tended to have voice disorder. The voice disorder didn't seem to be the most significant in terms of the dimensions of the protocol PAV as well as the different types of coping strategies.