Songbirds Must Sing: How Artistic Voice Users Perceive Their Voice in Times of COVID-19.
Adi Primov-Fever, Ilan Roziner, Ofer Amir
PMID 32826119WHAT IT FOUND
Professional singers and actors reported significantly more voice difficulties, vocal training changes, and stress than non-professionals during lockdown.
Those who worried more about their voice also reported higher stress levels. The study links voice concerns to psychological distress but does not prove one causes the other.
Key findings
01Professional voice users reported significantly higher scores on voice difficulties, vocal training changes, and general voice concern compared to controls.
02Within the professional group, singers reported significantly higher levels of vocal training than actors, but stress and voice concern scores were similar.
03Self-reported voice difficulties were strongly correlated with self-reported stress and anxiety levels across the sample.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used convenience and snowball sampling, which may bias the sample toward those more concerned about their voice or easier to reach online. Data collection occurred during a single week of strict lockdown, so results may not reflect the experience of voice users during less restrictive phases of the pandemic. The study did not assess the participants' baseline laryngeal health or history of voice disorders, so it is unclear if those with pre-existing conditions were overrepresented. As a cross-sectional survey, it can only show associations between voice concerns and stress, not causation.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the Tel-Aviv University Ethics Committee.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that voice difficulties caused the stress or that stress caused the voice difficulties. The survey design only shows that these two experiences were reported together at the same time point.