Psychological aspects in relation to the psychosocial impact of the voice in student teachers

L. Meulenbroek, F.I.C.R.S. de Jong

The aim of the study was to compare psychological aspects in relation to the psychosocial impact of the voice in student teachers. This research was a cross-sectional study using questionnaires, which included the Voice handicap Inventory (VHI),Type-D Scale-16 (DS16), Symptom check List (SCL-90) and Utrecht Coping List (UCL). The groups under investigation consisted of 730 (83% female/17 % male). Student teacherswith a relative high total VHI score (>75^th percentile) were compared to those with a relative low score (< 25^th percentile), representing relative high and low biopsychosocial impact. Student teachers with a relative high total VHI score were more of Type-D personalitiythan those which scored relatively low (p <0.001). The student teachers with a relative high total VHI score had higher scores on the SCL-90 total (p < 0.001) and all SCL-90 subsets (p < 0.001), compared to the student teachers with a relative low total VHI score. Furthermore, the students with relative high total VHI scores scored higher on the subset PAS (p < 0.001), PAL (p < 0.001), VER (p < 0.001) and EXP (p="0.004)" of the UCL, compared to student teachers with relative low VHI score; Vice versa, student teachers with relative low total VHI score scored significantly higher on the subtest ACT of the UCL (p="0,042)."
This study shows that personality traits, degree of psychosomatic well being and coping are related to the degree of biopsychosocial impact of voice and should be implemented in diagnosis, treatment and prevention programs of voice problems in student teachers.

L. Meulenbroek*, F.I.C.R.S. de Jong**
*Inst. for Primary Teacher Education, Vocational University of Arnhem/ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
**Department of ORL, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, The Netherlands
L.Meulenbroek@12move.nl