# Characterizing the impact of presbyphonia on social interaction

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2024 · $167,743

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Approximately 20% of older adults in the United States have a voice disorder. One of the most common voice
disorders in older adults is presbyphonia, related to changes in the larynx and respiratory system that occur with
aging. Persons with presbyphonia have softer, weaker, rougher voices. As a result, they have a harder time
communicating and participating in social activities. This can lead to adverse effects on social interaction, overall
well-being, and cascade into loneliness, depression, and worse quality of life.
 While patients commonly report these challenges, the relationship between voice impairment and social
interaction has not been adequately studied in older adults. We seek to further understand the impact of
presbyphonia on social function and well-being. We hypothesize that older adults with presbyphonia will exhibit
elevated social isolation and disconnectedness scores as compared to age-matched control participants without
voice disorders. Furthermore, we hypothesize that social isolation and social disconnectedness scores will
improve after participation in a voice therapy program specifically designed for older adults with presbyphonia,
phonation resistance training exercises (PhoRTE). We will use validated social interaction and voice
questionnaires, functional voice assessments, and structured interviews to gain a comprehensive understanding
of how presbyphonia affects older adults and what effects participation in voice therapy may have on voice
function and social interaction.
 Our proposed research is innovative as it provides a comprehensive characterization of voice from both
functional and social perspectives. Our project is unique because we plan to employ a combination of validated
patient-reported outcome measures, innovative voice acoustic analysis, aerodynamic parameters, perceptual
voice analysis, and structured interviews with innovative recall technique (Photovoice) to better understand the
impact of presbyphonia on social interaction and mood. There are very few studies have utilized Photovoice,
which is a qualitative assessment tool where participants take photographs using a camera to document needs
and concerns from their own viewpoints. This will enable us to understand our participants’ environments that
they may not share during interview. An investigative team with expertise in speech pathology, laryngology,
gerontology, qualitative interviewing, acoustic and aerodynamic analysis, and patient-reported outcomes has
been assembled to strengthen the quality of the proposed research.
 This study is significant because it will improve our understanding of how voice disorders affect older adults
from a comprehensive perspective. Given the importance of voice in social interaction, and the risks to general
health that can occur with social isolation, characterizing this impact is clinically and scientifically valuable. Our
work will be able to help a large population of older adults...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10976779
- **Project number:** 1R03AG089006-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew R Hoffman
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $167,743
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-15 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10976779

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10976779, Characterizing the impact of presbyphonia on social interaction (1R03AG089006-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10976779. Licensed CC0.

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