Welch, Brett
(2024)
Investigating the Psychological Aspects of Voice and Communication via Contemporary Personality Science.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Voice-specialized speech-language pathologists regularly navigate the psychosocial aspects of voice and communication with their patients during voice therapy. Although some clinicians may feel comfortable navigating the psychological aspects of voice and communication, many do not, as very little empirical data exist to understand these relationships. The present manuscript examines two components of the psycho-social-vocal relationship: 1) how one’s voice and communication influence their well-being and 2) how individual psychological differences (i.e., personality) may relate to the pathogenesis of certain voice disorders.
The first two studies address communicative congruence, or the extent to which an individual feels that their voice and communication are aligned with their sense of self or identity, and how communicative congruence maps onto depression. Across two separate samples, these studies find robust evidence that experiencing incongruence is associated with dysphoria, or significant emotional unease or distress. Additionally, these studies demonstrate that dysphoria mediates the relationship between congruence and depression. Together, these studies provide an unprecedented examination of communicative congruence.
The third study revisits the Trait Theory of Voice Disorders, which posits that certain personality traits may predispose an individual to developing and maintaining certain voice disorders. By integrating advances from rigorous personality science, the results of this study replicate prior findings and document novel relationships previously uninvestigated. Additionally, this study addresses gaps in the extant literature and identifies meaningful, tangible steps forward to further advance this area of research.
Neither the notion of “congruence” or personality as a precipitating factor for voice disorders are new. The current investigations advance these areas of research by integrating contemporary theories and analytic frameworks from Psychology. As a result, these studies yield meaningful contributions to the relatively sparse empirical evidence in the existing literature into these topics. Collectively, the findings from these studies provide further insight into the ways in which communication behaviors may influence a person’s well-being, as well as how psychological processes like personality may serve as a risk factor for developing certain vocal pathologies. Although more work is necessary, the current studies provide a solid foundation for future, more rigorous work into these relationships.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
10 September 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
15 July 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
10 September 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
14 August 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
181 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences > Communication Science and Disorders |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Voice, Voice Disorders, Psychology, Personality, Congruence, Communication |
| Date Deposited: |
10 Sep 2024 13:03 |
| Last Modified: |
10 Sep 2024 13:03 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46929 |
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