The impact of speech disorders quality of life: a questionnaire proposal

Abstract

PURPOSE: To develop a questionnaire to analyze the impact of speech disorders on quality of life and verify its reliability. METHODS: A literature review on instruments that assess the quality-of-life was performed, particularly those concerning communication disorders. The questionnaire was designed with 18 closed questions: one related to speech impairments, another about quality-of-life, and 16 questions covering the physical, emotional, and social domains. The questionnaire was applied to a population of 24 individuals of both sexes, aged between 12 and 50 years; 12 patients (case group) had phonetic speech disorders, and 12 (control group) had no impairment in oral communication. They were paired according to age and sex. To analyze the reliability of the instrument, the internal consistency of the items was assessed through Cronbach's Alpha coefficient. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the 16 questions concerning the domains was á=0.93; for the physical domain, á=0.71; for the emotional domain, á=0.77; and for the social domain, á=0.85. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire showed good reliability in identifying the impact of speech disorders on the individuals' quality of life.