COPING STRATEGIES, PERSONALITY, AND VOICE QUALITY IN PATIENTS WITH VOCAL FOLD NODULES AND POLYPS

Emotional state affects the physiological mechanism involved in phonat ion. Differences in acoustical parameters of the voice under stress ha ve been attributed to the coping mechanism used, which is based on the individual's perception nf the situation. This study examines the rel ationship between coping strategies, personality, and voice in female subjects, ranging in age from 19.3-55.7 years, diagnosed with vocal no dules or polyps. The differences between coping strategies and persona lity are examined and compared with another group with no history of v oice pathology, The relationship of personality and coping strategies to voice quality variables is reported. Results show that patients use emotional coping strategies more and cognitive coping strategies less than the comparison group. Type of voice pathology was found to be re lated to dominance. and a number of coping and personality variables w ere found to correlate significantly with voice quality.