PURPOSE: To investigate teachers' and non-teachers' perception regarding the implications of an eventual loss of voice. METHODS: Participated in the study 205 individuals (106 women and 99 men), 105 teachers and 100 non-teachers, with ages varying from 23 to 65 years old. The participants were asked to answer a questionnaire with four questions regarding an eventual loss of vision, hearing, voice and deambulation, and the inferred impact degree (from 0 to 4). RESULTS: For the teachers group, not being able to see caused the most negative impact (mean of 3.8), followed by not being able to walk (mean of 3.7), loss of voice (mean of 3.7) and hearing loss (mean of 3.6). For the non-teachers group, loss of sight also caused the most negative impact (mean of 3.4), followed by not being able to walk (3.0), hearing loss (2.2), and loss of voice (2.0). Regarding the impact of an eventual voice loss, the teachers group indicated negative consequences at work, in their social relationships and in their daily routines. The non-teachers group indicated negative consequences to their daily routine, at work, in their social relationships and in their emotional manifestations. CONCLUSION: The teachers showed to value their voices differently from the non-teachers group. Both groups agreed that voice loss would not bring the most negative consequences. Although teachers noticed more the impact of an eventual loss of voice than non-teachers, the feelings towards this hypothetical situation were similar in both groups.
Voice; Quality of life; Dysphonia; Voice disorders; Roughness; Vision disorders; Hearing loss; Gait disorders; neurologic; Sickness impact profile; Faculty; Questionnaires
