Investigation into psychological correlates of patients with vocal nodules using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the psychological characteristics of patients with vocal nodules and to establish the relationship between these characteristics and the development of vocal nodules.

Setting: A tertiary medical centre.

Design and method: The patient group consisted of 41 housewives with vocal nodules, and the control group consisted of 35 housewives who did not have any vocal pathology. The subjects completed questionnaires related to the voice disorder and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision.

Outcome measures: The scores of the patient group with less than 1 year of symptom duration (acute) and more than 1 year of symptom duration (chronic) were also compared with those of the controls.

Results and conclusion: The total patient group differed statistically from the control group on seven neurotic dimensions (p < .001) and one psychotic dimension (p < .05). The acute group differed on two neurotic dimensions (p < .05). We suggest that the neurotic traits found in the acute group may play a role in the development of vocal nodules. The dimensions in which the total patient group differed significantly from the control group may indicate the changes that occur in the psychological characteristics following voice change. The collective results indicate that psychological characteristics play an important role in the pathogenesis of vocal nodules. Hence, greater attention should be given to the psychological and emotional aspects of patients for the treatment and prevention of vocal nodules.