Aim The aim of the study was to identify occupational and individual factors that influence the occurrence of voice problems in university staff and to investigate whether there is a link between voice problems and physical, psychological or functional changes? Subject and methods The voices of university teachers are exposed to increased stress. As members of the group of professional speakers, they have an increased prevalence of developing a voice disorder, so-called dysphonia. In the worst case, chronic, occupational dysphonia can occur. In an empirical-quantitative study in form of a cross-sectional study in Germany, an online questionnaire was used to determine whether university teaching staff is more frequently affected by voice problems than their colleagues in the administrative sector. Results The results show that dry room climate, background noise, poor spatial acoustics, lack of breaks, and increasing age influence the occurrence of voice problems in university teachers. Teaching staff is therefore more frequently affected by impaired vocal function due to frequent throat clearing/coughing and a raspy, hoarse and scratchy voice than their administrative colleagues. In addition, there is a need for regular training and counselling. Conclusion In order to prevent the development of occupational dysphonia among university teachers, diagnostic, practical and theoretical interventions for the target group are needed. To this end, the appropriate structural and personnel conditions must be created in the university environment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.