Psychosocial Assessment of Voice Problems among Saudi Teachers

Background and Objectives: The teaching voice and its impact on the teaching profession have gained a special interest in several studies that are concerned with occupational voice disorders. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of voice problems among teachers in Riyadh city through studying the association between Voice Handicap Index (VHI) scores and different factors believed to have an influence on voice. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects and Methods: The Arabic VHI and a general questionnaire about voice disorders were distributed to a random sample of Saudi teachers in Riyadh city. The study included 416 teachers with a mean age of 34.3 +/- 5.2 years. Statistical differences between the VHI scores of the teachers regarding different variables related to the teaching profession were investigated. Results: Thirty-three percent of teachers in Riyadh city reported having voice problems. Teachers who reported the presence of certain living habits, teaching characteristics, and voice-related symptoms had significantly higher VHI scores compared to other teachers. Conclusion: Voice problems seem to be a prevalent disorder among teachers in Riyadh city. Such a condition could have a negative impact on the teaching profession. There appear to be many risk factors that can significantly affect the voice quality of teachers.