Listeners' Social Perception of Speakers after Treatment for Laryngeal Cancer

Three primary methods to treat laryngeal cancer include radiation therapy, total laryngectomy, and supracricoid laryngectomy. Perceptual assessment to determine the social impact of vocal outcomes related to each treatment was employed to understand the effect that a disordered voice may have on societal perception of patients undergoing these treatments. Forty listeners were recruited to rate the voices of four groups of speakers: individuals treated with radiation therapy; individuals treated with total laryngectomy and rehabilitated with a tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis; individuals treated with supracricoid laryngectomy; and individuals with no history of vocal disorders. The listeners rated the speakers' voices on rating scales with eight descriptors related to the social perception of speech. The ratings were made on 7-point Likert scales. Results indicated that listeners rated the non-surgical groups more positively than the surgical groups on traits such as attractive, clever, sophisticated, and trustworthy. The surgical groups were rated more negatively than non-surgical groups on traits such as scary, annoying, and intimidating. These findings provide insight into how patients undergoing these treatments may be perceived by society. Individuals with total laryngectomies may be at a higher risk of encountering negative social stigmatization in their daily life.