Incidence of Common Mental Disorders in Teachers: Is There a Relationship with Voice Disorders?

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the risk factors associated with the incidence of common mental disorders (CMD) in teachers, particularly the possible relationship with voice disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A longitudinal quantitative study of 469 teachers of the municipal schools of Pelotas in Brazil was conducted over three years after a baseline interview. The symptoms of CMD were assessed with the Self-Reporting Questionnaire 20 items (SRQ-20 scale) and the voice disorder was assessed with the Voice Handicap Index Protocol with cutoff of 19 points. A bivariate analysis was performed using Poisson regression to verify the difference in proportion of the incidence of CMD in the different categories of independent variables. RESULTS: The incidence of CMD was 18% (N = 265). In the bivariate analysis, the risk for CMD was 77% higher for teachers who presented with a voice disorder (RR 1.77 95% CI 1.04 to 3.03). CONCLUSIONS: Teachers who reported a voice disorder had an increased risk of developing a CMD.

Well-being and associated factors among elementary school teachers in southern Brazil / Bem-estar e fatores associados em professores do ensino fundamental no sul do Brasil

ABSTRACT Purpose: to verify the prevalence of well-being and its association with sociodemographic features, health and work-related conditions, and vocal behavior in elementary school teachers in the city of Pelotas, RS. Methods: a cross-sectional observational study with 575 teachers from urban and rural areas. The participants answered a structured questionnaire that included items on sociodemographic, health and work-related conditions. The Faces Scale (Andrews) was used to evaluate their psychological well-being. The Vocal Behavior Profile verified occurrences of abuse and vocal misuse. Poisson regression was used for the multivariate analysis. Results: of the total sample, 79.5% of teachers experienced well-being. It was observed that vocal behavior profile was significantly associated with well-being, and the number of students in the classroom showed a trend towards significance. Conclusion: most teachers had a satisfactory well-being perception. Moreover, a lower well-being perception in the teaching population was mainly related to abusive vocal behavior and, less clearly, to the high number of students per classroom.

RESUMO Objetivo: verificar a prevalência de bem-estar e sua relação com características sociodemográficas, condições de saúde e de trabalho e comportamento vocal em professores do ensino fundamental da cidade de Pelotas. Métodos: estudo observacional transversal analítico com 575 professores da zona rural e urbana. Eles responderam a um questionário estruturado com questões referentes a dados sociodemográficos e perguntas sobre condições de saúde e de trabalho. A Escala de Faces de Andrews foi utilizada para aferir o bem-estar. Situações de abuso e mau uso vocal foram observadas através do Perfil de Comportamento Vocal. A regressão de Poisson foi utilizada para análise multivariada. Resultados: 79,5% apresentaram bem-estar. Observou-se que o perfil do comportamento vocal esteve significativamente associado ao bem-estar e o número de alunos em sala de aula apresentou uma tendência de significância. Conclusão: a maioria dos professores do ensino fundamental têm uma percepção satisfatória de bem-estar. Além disso, a menor percepção de bem-estar na população de docentes está vinculada principalmente ao comportamento vocal abusivo e, de maneira menos evidente, ao elevado número de alunos por classe.