The Role of Parental Temperament and Parent-Child Fit in Two Stuttering Therapy Programs for Preschool-Aged Children...

To understand factors contributing to therapy success, this study investigated the role of parents' temperament and the fit between parents' temperament and parent-reported child behavior problems in therapy outcomes across two therapy types.

A total of 177 children who stutter and their parents were included in this study. Data from 149 children were present at the follow-up. Children received either Lidcombe Program (LP) or Rotterdam Evaluation Study of Stuttering Therapy randomized trial-Demands and Capacities Model (RESTART-DCM) therapy. Parents' temperaments and children's behaviors were measured at baseline. At 18 months of therapy postonset (T4) and 5 years later (T5), the children's remittance or persistence in stuttering was assessed.

High parental novelty seeking and high harm avoidance were associated with transient stuttering at T4 in the entire sample. Looking across therapies, novelty seeking remained significant in the RESTART-DCM group at T4, whereas in the LP group, significant associations were observed for reward dependence (at T4 and T5) and persistence (at T4). Meanwhile, none of the parent-child fits were associated with therapy outcome.

The results suggest that for preschoolers receiving treatment, parents who tend to seek novelty and exploration, as well as those with greater vigilance toward harm, have a positive impact on therapy success. In contrast, socially dependent parents might have a negative impact on therapy success in children receiving LP treatment, whereas diligent parents could serve as a protective factor in this therapy. These exploratory results should be interpreted with caution, and future research will be crucial to confirm and further interpret these results.