title: Singing voice handicap mapped by different self-assessment instruments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To map voice handicap of popular singers with a general voice and two singing voice self-assessment questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty singers, 25 male and 25 female, 23 with vocal complaint and 27 without vocal complaint answered randomly the questionnaires. For the comparison of data, the following statistical tests were performed: Mann-Whitney, Friedman, Wilcoxon, Spearman and Correlation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data showed that the VHI yielded a smaller handicap when compared to the other two questionnaires (VHI x S-VHI - p=0.001; VHI x MSVH - p=0.004). The S-VHI and MSVH produced similar results (p=0.723). Singers with vocal complaint had a VHI total score of 17.5. The other two instruments showed more deviated scores (S-VHI - 24.9; MSVH - 25.2). There was no relationship between gender and singing style with the handicap perceived. A weak negative correlation between the perceived handicap and the time of singing experience was found (-37.7 to -13.10%), that is, the smaller the time of singing experience, the greater the handicap is.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The questionnaires developed for the assessment of singing voice, S-VHI and MSVH, showed to be more specific and correspondent to each other for the evaluation of vocal handicap in singers. Findings showed that the more the time of singer's singing experience, the smaller the handicap is. Gender and singing styles did not influence the perception of the handicap.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos da Voz, São PauloSPBrazil.
authors.forename: Karla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Paoliello
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos da Voz, São PauloSPBrazil.
authors.forename: Gisele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos da Voz, São PauloSPBrazil.
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behlau
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D016272:Occupational Health; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D063346:Singing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014833:Voice Quality