Effects of Stuttering on Quality of Life in Adults Who Stutter (original) (raw)
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The impact of stuttering on the quality of life in adults who stutter
Journal of Fluency Disorders, 2009
Stuttering is an involuntary fluency disorder that is not uncommon in society. However, the impact of stuttering on a composite measure such as quality of life has rarely been estimated. Quality of life (QOL) assesses the well-being of a person from a multidimensional perspective, and valid and reliable general QOL measures are available that can be used to estimate the impact of stuttering on QOL. This study involved the use of a general measure of QOL called the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) in order to assess the impact of stuttering in 200 adults who stutter (AWS). Comparisons to 200 adults of similar age and sex ratio who do not stutter were made so that the unique contribution of stuttering on QOL could be estimated. Findings indicated that stuttering does negatively impact QOL in the vitality, social functioning, emotional functioning and mental health status domains. Results also tentatively suggest that people who stutter with increased levels of severity may have a higher risk of poor emotional functioning. These findings have implications for treatment such as the necessity to address the emotional and psychological aspects of QOL in AWS and the need for additional clinical resources to be invested in stuttering treatment.
Stuttering related and psychosocial predictors of impact of stuttering
Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association
Objective: To investigate the psychosocial factors having an impact on persons with a stuttering problem. Methods: The correlation study was conducted from October 2016 to February 2018 at hospitals, speech clinics and educational institutes of Lahore. The sample was comprised of young adults aged 16-30 years of either gender with development stuttering problem. Data was collected using Stuttering Severity Instrument-4, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale-Urdu, Big Five Measure-20, Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering and the Urdu version of the shortened form of the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced inventory. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. Results: Of the 78 subjects, 66(84.6 %) were males and 12 (15.4 %) were females. There were 21(27%) subjects aged 16-19 years and 57(73%) with age range of 20 - 30 years. The overall mean age was 21.96 ± 3.89 years. Mean age of onset was 4.59 ± 1.29 years, while gradual onset and progressive stuttering was report...
Journal of Fluency Disorders
This study aims to examine the association between adults' experience of stuttering and their age, gender and marital status, as well as to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Hebrew version of the OASES-A. Methods: The Hebrew version of the OASES-A was administered to 91 adults-who-stutter. The validity of the translated version was evaluated using a subset of 43 participants, who also completed three additional instruments: (a) a Perceived Stuttering Severity (PSS) self-rating scale, (b) the Situation Avoidance Behavior Checklist (SABC), (c) the Students Life Satisfaction scale (SLSS). Finally, the correlations between the participants' OASES-A scores and their age, gender and marital status were calculated. Results: A negative correlation was found between the participants' OASES-A impact scores and their age (p < 0.01). In addition, married participants exhibited lower OASES-A impact scores compared with unmarried participants (p < 0.05). On the other hand, the speakers' gender was not associated with OASES-A impact scores. Results: revealed high internal consistency of the Hebrew OASES-A, and moderate to strong correlations with the additional examined instruments. Finally, results of the Hebrew version of the questionnaire were comparable with those obtained in other languages. Conclusion: Our results indicated that, within our cohort, age and marital status are significantly associated with the personal experience of stuttering, whereas gender is not. In addition, the Hebrew version of the OASES-A is valid and comparable with equivalent versions in other languages. This facilitates the application of the OASES-A in future clinical and research settings. 1. Introduction Stuttering is considered a multidimensional disorder, with depth and magnitude far beyond the overt speech symptoms. This perspective was illustrated decades ago by Sheehan's iceberg analogy (1958), and it is still accepted theoretically and clinically (e.g., Yairi & Seery, 2014). Hence, it is agreed that measurements of overt stuttering do not necessarily represent the impact of the overall stuttering disorder on individual people who stutter (PWS) (Yairi & Seery, 2011). For example, some PWS exhibit mild overt stuttering, yet perceive it as a profound and disturbing experience. This may be manifested in fear of specific words, general behaviors of social/communicational avoidance, feelings of loss-of-control, anxiety, and excessive effort associated with speech and communication (Ingham & Cordes, 1997; Riley, Riley, & Maguire, 2004; Yairi & Seery, 2011). In contrast, other PWS may exhibit more severe overt stuttering, but perceive it as a mild condition. This may be attributed, for example, to mild emotional responses or to the lack of significant social difficulties (Yairi & Seery, 2011). This demonstrates that the experiential nature of stuttering (e.g.,
Iranian Rehabilitation Journal, 2018
This paper describes the validation process of the final form of the Persian version of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering for Adults (OASES-A-P). The impact of stuttering on the Persian-speaking people who stutter was compared to other languages. Methods: This study with a cross-sectional design involved 92 Persian-speaking adults who stutter (24 females and 68 males; mean age=20.05±4.85 years). Face and content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and item analysis for discriminant validity were examined. The impact scores and impact ratings were calculated in total and for the sections separately. Results: Cronbach's alpha and ICC proved to be high (0.98; 0.95, P<0.001 respectively). Corrected item-total correlation revealed no negative score. Mean of total impact score was 2.56(±0.67). Impact ratings for the total impact scores were as follows: mild=8.7%, mildto-moderate=29.3%, moderate=43.5%, moderate-to-severe=15.2%, and severe=3.3%. The impact of separate sections in a high to low order were reactions to stuttering, quality of life, general information, and communication in daily situations. Discussion: The results of the current study offer a reliable and valid form of the OASES, which is applicable for Persian-speaking Iranian adults who stutter. The predominant impact rating of stuttering was shown to be mild-to-moderate and moderate.
Subjective distress associated with chronic stuttering
Journal of Fluency Disorders, 2011
Stuttering is a chronic condition involving involuntary disruption to speech fluency. While elevated social anxiety has been found to be a risk factor for adults who have stuttered all their lives, it is unclear how stuttering influences other negative mood states such as interpersonal sensitivity and depressive mood. Consequently, controlled research was conducted that investigated negative affectivity across a number of domains in adults who stutter. Participants included 200 adults who have stuttered since childhood, with comparisons made to 200 non-stuttering controls of similar age and sex. The adults who stuttered were found to have significantly elevated levels of distress and negative mood states compared to the controls. As expected, significant differences were found for anxiety, however, significant and substantial differences were also found across a broad range of negative affect, including dimensions such as somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depressive mood, hostility and paranoia. The implications of these findings for the better management of stuttering are discussed.
Implementation of Wright and Ayre Stuttering Self-Rating Profile in the Saudi Subjects Who Stutters
Journal of Clinical Trials, 2016
Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify systematically, appraise and synthesize evidence on interventions to assess stuttering in Saudi adults who stutter with WASSP and to determine how applicable to identify patients of potential obstacles to successful outcomes following intervention. Methods: In this study, 5 Saudi male adults who stutter were recruited. The pre-phase and post-phase well prepared questionnaire was given to fill with sign consent form. Results: The 5 subjects were frequently more comfortable in post-phase than the pre-phase. In pre-phase, the subjects were severely affected with different forms of stutters like frequency, uncontrollable and urgency. Conclusion: The results of this study conclude the identifying the importance of stuttering and the opinion on WASSP and assessment in Saudi adults who stutter.
The impact of stuttering on adults who stutter and their partners
Journal of Fluency Disorders, 2013
This study explored the impact of the stuttering disorder on perceived quality of life, with emphasis on the individual's relationship with their partner or spouse. Specifically, the purposes were: (a) to investigate what personal experiences and themes exist for both members of a couple dyad when one member of the couple stutters and (b) to examine whether the partners have different experiences with respect to the impact of stuttering on their lives. A mixed method research design was used. Participant dyads (adults who stutter and their fluent life partner) each completed one semi-structured qualitative interview and two questionnaires: the Overall Assessment of Speakers' Experience of Stuttering (OASES), and the Medical Short Form 36 (SF-36). Interviews were analysed qualitatively and significant themes evaluated. Quantitative results of the OASES and SF-36 were analysed, and scores correlated to determine the strength of any clinically significant relationships. Results indicated that people who stutter and their fluent partners reported similar experiences in reactions to stuttering and perceived difficulties in communication. However, no relationship was seen between the two groups in perceived impact on quality of life. Qualitative results indicated that the participants shared life experiences including reactions to stuttering, treatment undertaken and support. Such findings lend support to a broad-based clinical program for adults who stutter that includes the fluent partner as an agent of change in their treatment. Findings also support the utilisation of qualitative and quantitative research techniques to elucidate relevant psychosocial life themes and experiences for those who live with a stutter.
Journal of Speech Pathology & Therapy, 2018
Previous literature has reported that stuttering is linked with lowered life quality across a wide range of domains such as vitality, social presentation, significant risks of social anxiety disorder and emotional functioning. The aim of the present study was to assess the status of the psychological variables mainly depression, anxiety and stress in two clients diagnosed with stuttering, who had attended regular intensive therapeutic sessions. Both of them exhibited negative emotional states regarding their problem and were feeling highly stressed due to stuttering. The severity of stuttering was assessed using Stuttering Severity Scale (SSI-4) and negative emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress were measured by DASS (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale) in two stages i.e. preand post-stuttering intervention. The outcome of the present study revealed reduction in depression, anxiety and stress after stuttering therapy. The finding of the present study highlighted on the fact that evidence based stuttering therapy techniques must be followed and implemented during the therapeutic sessions based on the client's severity of stuttering. This study also proves very strong correlation between speech behavior and emotional aspects among stutterers. The findings also showed that intensive stuttering modification therapy techniques can be effective in reducing severity of stuttering as well as reducing the psychological issues such as depression, stress, anxiety and attitude due to stuttering; thus improving quality of life in persons with stuttering.
Objectives: This paper describes the validation process of the final form of the Persian version of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering for Adults (OASES-A-P). The impact of stuttering on the Persian-speaking people who stutter was compared to other languages. Methods: This study with a cross-sectional design involved 92 Persian-speaking adults who stutter (24 females and 68 males; mean age=20.05±4.85 years). Face and content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and item analysis for discriminant validity were examined. The impact scores and impact ratings were calculated in total and for the sections separately.