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The Influence of Stress on the Voice

Perrine, Brittany L

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Communication Disorders.
Although stress has been frequently attributed to voice disorder development and progression, little work has been done to determine the role of activation of the two major stress systems [the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA)] on changes in voice production parameters. Nineteen healthy female participants (median age: 18; range: 18 to 23) were subjected to the Trier Social Stress Test protocol. Voice production parameters (average airflow, estimated subglottal pressure, laryngeal airflow resistance, open quotient from the EGG signal, speaking fundamental frequency, and percent of syllables produced in vocal fry) were measured at seven measurement time points (2 before the stressor, 1 after an anticipatory period, and 4 after the stressor). Participants rated their levels of stress and nine emotions and provided saliva samples at each measurement time. Salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase were measured from the saliva samples. Ten of the 19 participants experienced a minimum 2.5 nmol/l increase in salivary cortisol levels from before the stressor to after the stressor, indicating that they had HPA axis activation. There were no significant changes in aerodynamic or electroglottographic measures over the seven measurement time points. There was a significant increase in speaking fundamental frequency before the stressor and a reduction in fundamental frequency after the stressor. Estimated subglottal pressure and laryngeal airflow resistance measures were significantly higher in participants who did not experience an HPA axis response. The findings of the current study further support the body of literature that has reported mainly individual changes in voice production parameters following stress. However, the addition of salivary cortisol measures in the present study revealed the novel finding that there are consistent voice production differences between participants who experience HPA axis activation and those who do not. The higher estimated subglottal pressure and laryngeal airflow resistance measures in the group of participants who did not experience HPA activation overlap with pressures and resistances reported for those with voice disorders. Based on this, it is postulated that HPA axis response may be related, either through behavioral or physical adaptations, or personality factors, to the development of voice disorders.
Ronald Scherer, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Michael Ellison, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Jason Whitfield, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Casey Cromwell, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Charles Hughes, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
209 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Perrine, B. L. (2018). The Influence of Stress on the Voice [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522269980727815

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Perrine, Brittany. The Influence of Stress on the Voice. 2018. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522269980727815.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Perrine, Brittany. "The Influence of Stress on the Voice." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522269980727815

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)