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The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which talking about stuttering with a known person who stuttered affected perceptions towards stuttering. A total of 152 participants completed survey items related to demographic information, perceptions of the known person who stutters, and whether or not they discussed stuttering with the person they knew. Finally, participants completed two separate semantic differential scales. The first scale was completed in regard to the person participants knew who stuttered, while the second semantic differential scale was completed regarding a hypothetical “average” person who stuttered. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted for these two semantic differential scales, with the effect of the independent variable of whether participants talked about stuttering with the known person who stuttered. Findings revealed that talking about stuttering with a known person who stuttered did not affect perceptions towards the person or an average person who stuttered. Despite this finding, it should be noted that participants reported relatively positive attitudes towards both the person they knew who stuttered and the average person who stuttered. Future research should continue to explore the benefits of disclosure or discussing stuttering for both people who stutter and listeners.

We explored the perceptions about work experiences and discrimination that people who stutter (PWS) report. A total of 184 PWS responded to a paper and pencil or an online version of a questionnaire that included 13 Likert-type scale and demographics questions. Of the respondents, 68 completed a pencil and paper version of the questionnaire and 116 completed an online version. Participants reported that their stuttering affected some aspects of occupational experiences and that their employers had made negative judgments during job interviews and promotional opportunities due to stuttering. Conversely, participants reported that stuttering did not affect whether they were asked to perform supervisory activities, that their coworkers appeared to accept their stuttering, and that stuttering did not affect their choice of careers. Stuttering severity, gender, treatment experiences, type of employment, and differences in salary did not affect participants’ reports related to occupational experiences. Finally, there were no differences between the responses provided by participants responding to the paper and pencil or electronic versions of the survey. In this paper, we discuss relationships between these findings and past research studies exploring occupational experiences of people who stutter.

Previous research suggests that people who stutter (PWS) tend to have heightened general anxiety (i.e., trait anxiety) and situational anxiety (i.e., state anxiety) compared to people who do not stutter (PWDS). Most research with anxiety and stuttering utilizes self-perception scales; however, few studies have looked at anxiety over time. The current study examined self-reported state and trait anxiety in PWS and PWDS over six weeks, along with an investigation of the effects of audio-recording on anxiety. Results indicated no significant group differences in trait (general) anxiety over six weeks; however trends indicated that PWS may have increased trait anxiety compared to PWDS. Furthermore, for both groups, state (situational) anxiety was lower after a recording session compared to before.

Purpose: Suicide and suicidal ideation are topics that have a long but limited history in stuttering research. Clinicians and clinical researchers have discussed personal and therapeutic experiences with clients who have attempted suicide, died by suicide, or struggled with suicidal thoughts. This study sought to (a) explore the occurrence of suicidal ideation in a sample of adults who stutter; (b) evaluate the relationship between adverse impact related to stuttering and suicidal ideation; and (c) document respondents' thoughts related to suicide, stuttering, and their intersection. Method: One hundred forty adults who stutter completed the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire–Revised (SBQ-R). Of these, 70 participants completed the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ), and 67 completed the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES). Participants who indicated at least some tendency for suicidal thoughts on the SBQ-R ( n = 95) were then asked a set of follow-up questions to explore their experiences of suicidal ideation related to stuttering. Results: Quantitative data indicated that the majority of adults who reported experiencing suicidal ideation associated these experiences with stuttering (61.2%, n = 59). Individuals with higher Total Scores on the PTQ and OASES were predicted to experience significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation and, in particular, a higher likelihood of having more frequent suicidal ideation in the past year. Qualitative analyses revealed that suicidal ideation intersects meaningfully with the experience of stuttering. Conclusions: Data from this study highlight the importance of considering broader life consequences of stuttering that some adults may experience, including suicidal ideation. By being cognizant that clients may develop such thoughts, speech-language pathologists can play a valuable role in identifying and providing necessary support for at-risk individuals. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.23699688