The Relationship Between Voice Handicap and Life Satisfaction in Older Adults

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between voice handicap and life satisfaction among adults aged 60 years and older.Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 210 older adults aged 60 ye-ars and above who were literate in Turkish and cognitively able to complete an online survey independently (female: n = 116, 55.2%; male: n = 94, 44.8%; mean age = 69.27 ± 5.65 years). Data were collected using a sociodemographic information form, the Tur-kish Voice Handicap Index-10 (TVHI-10), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). As the data did not meet the assumptions of normality, relationships between variables were examined using Spearman’s rank correlation analysis. Group comparisons were performed using the Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis test.Results: The mean TVHI-10 score was 21.57 ± 9.92, while the mean SWLS score was 19.84 ± 8.26. Spearman correlation analysis revealed a significant, strong, and negative association between voice handicap and life satisfaction (rₛ = −0.68, p < 0.001). Signifi-cant differences in both TVHI-10 and SWLS scores were observed according to the pre-sence of chronic disease, marital status, and age group (all p < 0.001). No significant differences were found with respect to sex (p > 0.05).Conclusion: The findings suggest that higher levels of perceived voice handicap are as-sociated with lower life satisfaction in older adults. Voice-related difficulties may have important implications not only for communication but also for overall well-being in la-ter life. Routine assessment of voice handicap and the implementation of appropriate in-tervention strategies should be considered within geriatric speech-language pathology practice.