A negative halo effect for stuttering? The consequences of stuttering for romantic desirability are mediated by perceptions of personality traits, self-esteem, and intelligence

Mothers' and fathers' attitudes toward stuttering in the Middle East compared to Europe and North America

BACKGROUND

Parents play a central role in the treatment of childhood stuttering. Addressing parental attitudes toward stuttering is helpful therapeutically. The extent to which differences in attitudes toward stuttering exist on the basis of sex, geographical region and parental status (e.g., parent of a stuttering child, parent of a nonstuttering child, nonparent) is unclear. Many studies investigating such factors have used the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S) questionnaire. A large POSHA-S database has collected responses from over 20 000 people from 49 countries.

AIMS

The aim of this study was to use the POSHA-S database to examine the extent to which the following variables influence attitudes toward stuttering: (a) parents' sex (mothers vs. fathers), (b) geographic region (Middle East vs. Europe and North America), (c) parents' children (stuttering vs. nonstuttering) and (d) parental status (parents versus nonparents).

METHODS & PROCEDURES

Data used in this study were extracted from selected, relevant studies that administered the POSHA-S to respondents. The Overall Stuttering Scores were compared on the basis of sex and parent status (i.e., mothers and fathers; nonparent women and men) and were then compared within and across the two geographical areas. Group comparisons were performed using analysis of variance followed by independent t tests, and Cohen's d was calculated to determine effect sizes.

OUTCOMES & RESULTS

Statistically significant differences were observed upon the basis of geographical region. In general, male parents and nonparents tend to have more positive stuttering attitudes among the Middle Eastern samples while female parents and nonparents tend to show more positive attitudes in European and North American samples in the POSHA-S database. Effect sizes were small for all comparisons.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS

The effect of geographic region and culture may predict sex-based differences among mothers' and fathers' attitudes toward stuttering; however, the clinical significance is unclear. Additional research is needed to better understand how children who stutter are affected by their parents' attitudes toward stuttering.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS

What is already known on this subject The research clearly indicates that attitudes toward stuttering vary according to geographical region. Less clear is whether mothers and fathers from geographically diverse backgrounds hold different attitudes toward stuttering and the extent to which parental status (being a parent, parent of a child who stutters or nonparent) affects attitudes toward stuttering. What this study adds This study's findings confirm that geographical differences do influence attitudes toward stuttering. Male parents and nonparents tend to have equal or more positive attitudes toward stuttering in Middle Eastern samples, whereas non-Middle Eastern female parents and nonparents tend to show hold more positive attitudes. What are the clinical implications of this work? In addition to being culturally sensitive when working with parents of children who stutter, clinicians should also consider that mothers and fathers may have some differences in attitudes and behaviours toward their child's stuttering. These differences should be considered when designing treatment plans. It should also be noted that, despite statistical significance, the effect sizes in this study were low, suggesting that further research as well as close collaboration with parents of children who stutter is warranted.

Turkish adaptation of the self-stigma of stuttering scale (4S): Study of validity and reliability (4S-TR)

PURPOSE

This study aimed to adapt the Self-Stigma of Stuttering Scale (4S) into Turkish and evaluate its factor structure, reliability, and validity in Turkish culture.

METHODS

The original 4S scale was translated into Turkish (4S-TR) using a forward-backward translation technique and was administered to 350 adults who stutter (AWS). To discover latent variables evaluated on the scale, two-factor analyses were performed. Internal consistency and temporal stability were calculated to ensure reliability. Test-retest reliability correlation scores were calculated with multiple applications of the scale within about two weeks. To verify construct validity, participants also completed the Turkish versions of the Self-Esteem Rating Scale-Short Form (BSDÖ-KF) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale(YDÖ).

RESULTS

The explanatory factor analysis showed three factors explaining 74.76 % of the total variance. The findings were also validated by confirmatory factor analysis. High levels of internal consistency (r = .89) and test-retest reliability (r = .96) were obtained. In terms of construct validity, our findings revealed that self-stigma has a significant negative correlation with self-esteem (r = -.41) and life satisfaction (r = -.38) as was predicted.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings demonstrate preliminary evidence that the 4S-TR is a viable and valid instrument for self-stigma evaluation in three domains (stigma awareness, stereotype agreement, and self-concurrence). The 4S-TR can be applied for research and clinical purposes in Turkish.

Self-perceived outcomes of informative and apologetic self-disclosure: A mixed methods study

PURPOSE

Self-disclosure statements that are informative, rather than apologetic, have been demonstrated to improve listener perceptions of adults who stutter (Byrd et al., 2017). The purpose of the present study is to investigate the benefits of self-disclosure from the perspective of the speaker and to determine whether self-disclosure statement type is associated with self-perceived outcomes of use.

METHOD

A total of 156 adults who stutter completed a survey adapted from a previous study investigating affective, behavioral, and cognitive outcomes of voluntary stuttering. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics to determine if there was a significant relationship between self-disclosure statement type and self-reported outcomes. Additionally, responses to two open-ended questions relating to timing of self-disclosure and self-disclosure experiences in general were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Self-disclosure was perceived as beneficial in at least one context by 96.8 % of respondents. Respondents who used an informative self-disclosure statement were more likely to agree that self-disclosure increased confidence and were less likely to report attempting to conceal or avoid stuttering than respondents who used an apologetic self-disclosure statement. Themes relating to additional aspects of self-disclosure experiences included personalized use, social connection, acceptance of stuttering, challenging cognitive distortions, communication is easier, self-empowerment, humor, voluntary stuttering, and vulnerability to prejudice.

CONCLUSION

Similar to studies investigating the influence of self-disclosure on listener perceptions, informative self-disclosure is associated with greater self-perceived benefits than apologetic self-disclosure for adults who stutter.

Fostering Positive Stuttering Identities Using Stutter-Affirming Therapy

PURPOSE

School-age children and adolescents frequently have difficulty developing positive identities around their stuttering. Many students experience both physical and social consequences from stuttering. The great lengths that speakers go to try to hide their stuttering and to speak fluently increase their difficulty. As long as school-age children who stutter try to identify as fluent speakers, they will have difficulty lessening the negative impact of stuttering on their lives. Fortunately, many people who stutter also report positive stuttering experiences. Speech-language pathologists can use these positive experiences to help school-age children grow more comfortable with stuttering. They can also help school-age children reduce some of the speaking effort and social stigma that leads them to try to conceal their stuttering in the first place. To accomplish both these goals, I propose a stutter-affirming therapy.

METHOD

This clinical focus article summarizes previous research about identity development in stuttering. I discuss a therapy approach I call stutter-affirming therapy. In elucidating this approach, I discuss practical ways that speech-language pathologists can use to help school-age children develop positive stuttering identities through easier speaking and stuttering. I ground these examples in a case study of a 12-year-old boy who stutters.

DISCUSSION

stutter-affirming therapy focuses on conditioning the speaker's reaction to stuttering in ways that move toward and embrace stuttering (stutterphilic reactions) rather than in ways that move away from and reject stuttering (stutterphobic reactions). Speech-language pathologists can help school-age children who stutter foster positive stuttering identities using the three priorities of stutter-affirming therapy. First, reject fluency by reducing stutterphobic and increasing stutterphilic reactions to stuttering. Second, value stuttering by discovering what speakers gain from it. Third, create an environment in which it is easier to stutter through education, advocacy, disclosure, and voluntary stuttering.

The Negative Consequences of Stuttering for Perceptions of Leadership Ability

Abstract. The purpose of the present study was to extend previous research concerning the negative perceptions of stuttering by considering the perceived leadership ability of targets who stuttered compared with targets who did not stutter. We were also interested in the possibility that negative perceptions of the targets (i.e., low levels of self-esteem, intelligence, dominance-based status motivation, and prestige-based status motivation) would mediate the association between stuttering and a lack of perceived leadership ability as well as the possibility that manipulating the ostensible self-esteem level of the target would further moderate these associations. The results for 838 Israeli community members revealed a negative association between stuttering and perceived leadership ability that was mediated by the perceived self-esteem level and dominance-based status motivation of the target. Further, the associations between stuttering and perceptions of leadership ability were moderated by the ostensible self-esteem level of the target. Discussion focuses on the implications of these results for understanding the negative halo that surrounds stuttering.