A Study of the Correlation between Subjective and Objective Evaluation of Voice Disorders

음성장애 주관적 평가와 객관적 평가 간의 상관성 연구

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between subjective and objective evaluation in speakers with voice disorders. Subjective evaluation indicates the self-reports of voice problems by dysphonic speakers. The relating protocol is the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and the self-awareness index of voice problems (SAIVP-14). A total of 48 individuals with voice disorders replied to the questionnaire and participated in a voice assessment. Objective evaluations included the perceptual judgement of G grade in GRBAS, acoustic measurements (jitter, shimmer, NHR) by MDVP (CSL 4400), and aerodynamic measurements (MPT, MFR, psub) by PAS (Phonatory Aerodynamic System, KayPentax, USA). Pearson and Spearman correlations were used for the analysis. In the correlation with perceptual judgement (G grade) and VHI-Total, VHI-Physical, and SAIVP-14, there was a significant correlation, but the overall correlation was poor. NHR, jitter, and shimmer were significantly correlated with overall VHI and SAIVP-14. Specifically, the correlation with shimmer was stronger compared to the other measurements. In aerodynamic measures, MFR and MPT showed a significant correlation with VHI-Total, VHI-Emotional, and SAIVP-14, but their correlation was poor. The results of this study suggested that subjective evaluation of self voice problems is meaningfully correlated with objective evaluations, but more data in the multidimensional voice assessment should be collected and analyzed for the reliability and validity of the voice handicap questionnaire.