ERIC Number: EJ1425444
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-May
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: EISSN-1558-9102
The Association between Stuttering Burden and Psychosocial Aspects of Life in Adults
Marscha M. Engelen; Marie-Christine J. P. Franken; Lottie W. Stipdonk; Sarah E. Horton; Victoria E. Jackson; Sheena Reilly; Angela T. Morgan; Simon E. Fisher; Sandra Van Dulmen; Else Eising
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v67 n5 p1385-1399 2024
Purpose: Stuttering is a speech condition that can have a major impact on a person's quality of life. This descriptive study aimed to identify subgroups of people who stutter (PWS) based on stuttering burden and to investigate differences between these subgroups on psychosocial aspects of life. Method: The study included 618 adult participants who stutter. They completed a detailed survey examining stuttering symptomatology, impact of stuttering on anxiety, education and employment, experience of stuttering, and levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. A two-step cluster analytic procedure was performed to identify subgroups of PWS, based on self-report of stuttering frequency, severity, affect, and anxiety, four measures that together inform about stuttering burden. Results: We identified a high- (n = 230) and a low-burden subgroup (n = 372). The high-burden subgroup reported a significantly higher impact of stuttering on education and employment, and higher levels of general depression, anxiety, stress, and overall impact of stuttering. These participants also reported that they trialed more different stuttering therapies than those with lower burden. Conclusions: Our results emphasize the need to be attentive to the diverse experiences and needs of PWS, rather than treating them as a homogeneous group. Our findings also stress the importance of personalized therapeutic strategies for individuals with stuttering, considering all aspects that could influence their stuttering burden. People with high-burden stuttering might, for example, have a higher need for psychological therapy to reduce stuttering-related anxiety. People with less emotional reactions but severe speech distortions may also have a moderate to high burden, but they may have a higher need for speech techniques to communicate with more ease. Future research should give more insights into the therapeutic needs of people highly burdened by their stuttering.
Descriptors: Adults, Stuttering, Quality of Life, Psychological Patterns, Social Behavior, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Speech Impairments, Foreign Countries, Participant Characteristics, Career Development, Educational Attainment, Equal Opportunities (Jobs), Disability Discrimination, Anxiety, Depression (Psychology), Stress Variables, Incidence, Severity (of Disability), Speech Therapy
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Netherlands
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Data File: URL: https://hdl.handle.net/1839/f2241467-b5eb-44de-af97-da550dd5b763