Normative Values for the Spanish Version of the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS)

Abstract

Objective. The aim of this study was to establish normative values for the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS) in the Spanish community population (without voice problems), using a sample from a large area of southeastern Spain. Method. The sample consisted of 115 adults from ages 16 to 87, 60 of whom were women and 55 were men. Participants included the family members of patients who attended the Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) and Speech Therapy Clinic at a referral hospital in the region of Murcia, Spain, and some of the clinic’s staff. All the participants reported never having suffered from any voice disorder before. Results. The normative values obtained in this study for the VoiSS were 14.61 (SD=8.18) for the total score, 7.57 (SD = 5.42) for the Impairment subscale, 1.04 (SD = 1.65) for the Emotional subscale, and 5.99 (SD = 3.61) for the Physical subscale. The percentile values were also obtained for the VoiSS scale and for its three subscales. Conclusions. This study presents normative values for the VoiSS scale that have not previously been obtained in Spain. These values can be used as a reference to detect possible voice disorders.