Anxiety levels in people who stutter: a randomized population study

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Pathology
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Previous research on anxiety in people who stutter (PWS) is limited by biased samples, often including only clinic-referred individuals.
• A representative sample of PWS is needed to accurately assess anxiety levels in the broader community.
• Methodological challenges have hindered definitive conclusions about anxiety differences between PWS and non-stuttering individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether people who stutter (PWS) exhibit higher trait anxiety levels compared to the general population.
• To address the methodological limitations of previous studies by employing random sampling procedures.
• To establish a more representative understanding of anxiety in PWS.

Main Methods:

• A random household telephone survey of 4,689 households was conducted.
• Individuals identified as stuttering underwent a diagnostic process including speech recording and corroborative questions.
• A total of 63 participants aged 15 and older completed a trait anxiety questionnaire via telephone.

Main Results:

• Mean trait anxiety levels in the stuttering sample were found to be significantly higher than those typically observed in the general population.
• The observed differences in anxiety levels, while statistically significant, were not large in magnitude.
• This study provides the first published data on anxiety levels in a community-based sample of PWS identified through random selection.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest a modest elevation in trait anxiety among people who stutter in the community.
• The study highlights the importance of representative sampling in stuttering research.
• Further research is warranted to explore the factors contributing to anxiety in PWS and the clinical implications of these findings.