Risk of Dysphonia in Theater Actors: Proposal for a Screening Protocol

Area of Science:

• Vocal Health
• Occupational Health for Performing Artists

Background:

• Actors are susceptible to voice disorders due to occupational demands.
• Existing screening tools may not fully capture actor-specific risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate the Dysphonia Risk Screening Protocol for Actors (DRSP-A).
• To establish a high-risk cut-off point for dysphonia in actors.
• To compare dysphonia risk between actors with and without vocal alterations.

Main Methods:

• An observational cross-sectional study involving 77 professional actors and students.
• Individual administration of the Dysphonia Risk Screening Protocol for Actors (DRSP-A) and General Dysphonia Risk Screening Protocol (G-DRSP).
• Auditory-perceptual analysis of voice recordings to classify participants into groups with and without vocal alteration.

Main Results:

• The study sample exhibited a high prevalence of dysphonia risk.
• Higher G-DRSP and final screening scores correlated with the presence of vocal alterations.
• Established cut-off points for DRSP-A (0.623) and DRS-Final (0.789) indicated increased dysphonia risk above these values, with greater sensitivity than specificity.

Conclusions:

• The DRSP-A is a viable and applicable screening instrument for actors.
• A specific cut-off value for DRSP-A was determined.
• While G-DRSP and DRS-Final scores differed between groups, DRSP-A scores did not show a significant difference, suggesting its unique applicability.