How Primary Schoolteachers are Affected by Voice Disorders: Findings from a Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Teachers developing voice disorders are known to experience overall poor quality of life.
Objectives: To describe the outcomes of voice disorders among primary school teachers in Colombo District, Sri Lanka
Methods: The study was conducted as an institution-based descriptive cross-sectional study among 436 primary school teachers with voice disorders selected by stratified random sampling method. Data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire marked on a Likert scale.
Results: In the study, 10.1%-26.5% of teachers were affected by the outcomes related to professional life and expenditure assessed by 8 statements; while 5.9%-18.1% teachers were affected by outcomes related to individual emotional status assessed by 3 statements. Regarding coping strategies as an outcome, 12.6%-31.4% teachers developed strategies assessed by 4 statements.
Conclusions & Recommendations: Overall, teachers affected by outcomes related to individual emotional status was higher than reported in other countries and health seeking behaviour was comparatively poor. It is recommended to create awareness on voice disorders among teachers and for school authorities to encourage and support affected teachers to seek treatment.