TY - JOUR
T1 - The Association Between Stuttering Burden and Psychosocial Aspects of Life in Adults
AU - Engelen, Marscha M.
AU - Franken, Marie Christine J.P.
AU - Stipdonk, Lottie W.
AU - Horton, Sarah E.
AU - Jackson, Victoria E.
AU - Reilly, Sheena
AU - Morgan, Angela T.
AU - Fisher, Simon E.
AU - van Dulmen, Sandra
AU - Eising, Else
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
PY - 2024/5/7
Y1 - 2024/5/7
N2 - 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. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25582980.
AB - 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. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25582980.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192683587&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00562
DO - 10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00562
M3 - Article
C2 - 38625147
AN - SCOPUS:85192683587
SN - 1092-4388
VL - 67
SP - 1385
EP - 1399
JO - Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR
JF - Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR
IS - 5
ER -