Patient-Perceived Vocal Effort Immediately Following Voice Tasks in Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia (ADLD).

PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship between patient-perceived vocal effort (VE) using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VE-VAS) and the OMNI Vocal Effort Scale (OMNI-VES) when measures were obtained after a vocal activity. A second purpose was to evaluate how VE related to other voice assessment measures.

METHOD: Fifty-three speakers with adductor laryngeal dystonia (ADLD) provided speech recordings. Directly after this vocal activity, speakers rated VE using the VE-VAS and the OMNI-VES. Speakers provided ratings of their own voice quality severity using a 100-mm VAS (ADLD-OS) and completed the Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) scale. Ten experienced speech-language pathologists rated a subset of available speech samples (n = 39) for overall voice severity using a 100-mm VAS (SLP-OS).

RESULTS

There was a strong, significant correlation (r = 0.78, P < 0.001) between the VE-VAS and the OMNI-VES. Both VE measures were strongly and significantly correlated with speakers' ratings of their voice: VE-VAS vs ADLD-OS, r = 0.75, P < 0.001; OMNI-VES vs ADLD-OS, r = 0.85, P < 0.001. In contrast, mostly weak correlations were found between perceived VE and V-RQOL total and physical domains, respectively (VE-VAS vs V-RQOL: r = -0.21 to -0.19, P > 0.05; OMNI-VES vs V-RQOL: r = -0.37 to -0.44, P < 0.01). Finally, VE measures were moderately and significantly related to SLPs' auditory-perceptual measures of voice severity: VE-VAS vs SLP-OS, r = 0.50, P < 0.001; OMNI-VES vs SLP-OS, r = 0.57, P < 0.001.

CONCLUSIONS

ADLD speakers' perceptions of VE are strongly related when measures are obtained directly after a vocal activity, regardless of the VE scale. VE is strongly related to speaker-rated voice quality severity, but weakly related to V-RQOL. Measures of VE obtained directly after a vocal activity are moderately related to clinicians' perceptions of overall voice quality severity.