Personality and voice disorders: A superfactor trait analysis

To determine whether personality factors play causal, concomitant, or conse quential roles in common voice disorders, a vocally normal control group an d four groups with voice disorders-functional dysphonia (FD), vocal nodules (VN), spasmodic dysphonia (SD), and unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) -were compared on measures of personality and psychological adjustment. Sup erfactor group comparisons revealed that the majority of FD and VN subjects were classified as introverts and extraverts, respectively Comparisons inv olving the SD, UVFP, and control subjects did not identify consistent perso nality differences. The disability hypothesis, which suggests that personal ity features and emotional maladjustment are solely a negative consequence of vocal disability, was not supported. Personality variables and their beh avioral consequences may therefore contribute to FD and VN. Results are pre sented within the context of a dispositional theory offered by Roy and Bles s (2000a).