title: Communicative aspects and coping strategies in patients with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate, in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), the coping strategies; the most reported vocal symptoms; and the relation between coping, voice symptoms, and communicative aspects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-three subjects were included in the sample, 33 of which were participants in the experimental group (EG) with diagnosis of PD and 40 were control subjects, that is, healthy and without vocal complaints. They underwent the following procedures: application of Voice Symptoms Scale (VoiSS), Brazilian Version; Voice Disability Coping Questionnaire (VDCQ), Brazilian Version; and the questionnaire Living with Dysarthria (LwD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The EG presented deviations in all protocols: VDCQ, with the most frequently coping strategy being "self-control," VoiSS, with "Impairment" as the most prevalent domain, and LwD, presenting changes in all sections. Vocal signs and symptoms and communicative aspects were shown to have a regular correlation with coping. The correlation between vocal symptoms and communicative aspects was as follows: the greater the impairment in communication, the greater the VoiSS emotional scores and the more they complaint of voice-related signs and symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with PD use all kinds of coping strategies, but prefer using self-control. They present several vocal signs and symptoms, and "Impairment" was the most prevalent domain. There are difficulties in all aspects of communication. The higher the occurrence of vocal signs and symptoms, the more the patient reports the difficulties of living with dysarthria, particularly when deviations affect the emotional domain.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávia Pereira da
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Giovana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Diaféria
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behlau
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D055154:Dysphonia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires