A Preliminary Investigation of the Affective, Behavioral and Cognitive Variables Associated with Spasmodic Dysphonia

Background: Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is often assessed and treated in a rather mono-dimensional way, despite knowledge of the impact of SD on a person’s quality of life. This study investigates how adults with SD think and feel about their speech, and cope with their voice problem. Methods: Adults with SD were asked to fill out the Behavior Assessment Battery’s (BAB-Voice) self-report tests. The Speech Situation Checklist-Emotional Reaction and Speech Disruption investigate negative emotional reaction and voice problems in particular speech situations. The Behavior Checklist provides an inventory of behaviours that might be used to avoid or escape voice problems. The Communication Attitude Test for Adults assesses speechassociated attitude. Results: Adults with SD had elevated scores on all BAB tests. Their results were comparable to BAB research with people who stutter. Conclusion: The data show the BAB’s potential to assist clinicians in diagnosis and in designing a tailored multidimensional treatment plan.