Comparing acoustic characteristics of voice in female teachers with and without voice complaint working at elementary schools of Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Teachers comprise the largest group of professional voice users whose specific occupational circumstances makethem more susceptible to voice disorders than other professional groups. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the acoustic characteristics of female elementary-school teachers with and without voice complaint. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive- analytical study, eighty female teachers working at primary schools of Tehran, Iranwere divided into two groups of subjects with and without voice complaints. After collecting case history data through interviewing, each subject underwent acoustic assessment during which they were requested to prolong the vowel /a/ for three times. Mean fundamental frequency, jitter, harmony to noise ratio, and shimmer were calculated via Praat software (version 5.3.13), and the two groups were statistically compared. Results: There was no significant difference between teachers who had and had not voice complaintsregarding all above- mentioned variables (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that there was no necessarysignificant difference between acoustic measurementsof subjects who had any voice complaint and those who had not. In other words, acoustic characteristics cannot differentiate between these two groups implying a need for studying other acoustic assessment approaches and indices such as DSI. Keywords: Acoustic characteristics, Voice complaint, Female elementary, School teacher