Further development and validation of the Unhelpful Thoughts and Beliefs About Stuttering (UTBAS) scales: relationship to anxiety and social phobia among adults who stutter

Abstract

The present study demonstrates the validity and utility of the UTBAS scales in assessing negative cognitions associated with speech-related anxiety among adults who stutter. Results also confirm previous evidence of a high rate of social phobia among adults who stutter, and reveal that the UTBAS discriminates between adults with and without social phobia. In terms of clinical applications, the UTBAS scales could be used to screen for indicators of social phobia among adults who stutter, and may prove useful in identifying negative cognitions which have the potential to impact treatment outcomes.

Phase I trial of a standalone internet social anxiety treatment for adolescents who stutter: iBroadway

“…The Unhelpful Thoughts and Beliefs About Stuttering scale is a 66‐item self‐report measure to assess unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about stuttering that are related to social anxiety (Iverach et al . , St Clare et al . ).…”

“…Iverach et al . () reported a means score of 498.5 (SD = 160.0) for 140 adults who stutter, 23.5% of whom met criteria for a DSM‐IV social anxiety disorder diagnosis during the previous 12 months. The scale was designed for adult populations, so the present study modified the wording of one question to make it more suitable for adolescents.…”

“…The scale has high discriminant and convergent validity and has been show to discriminate between control and stuttering participants (Iverach et al . ).…”

Theory and therapy in stuttering: A complex relationship

“…For example, in a study of 140 adults seeking treatment for their stuttering, Iverach et al (2011) found wide variation in scores on the Unhelpful Thoughts and Beliefs About Stuttering scale and on a range of psychological tests. Modulating factors will likely be influenced by, among other things, individual experiences (for example, teasing during childhood), anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and stuttering severity, all in turn possibly influenced by individual differences in emotional reactivity (Walden et al, 2012) and resilience (Craig, Blumgart, & Tran, 2011).…”

Comparison of adults who stutter with and without social anxiety disorder

“…Evidence has established the validity and utility of the UTBAS scales in evaluating the negative cognitions associated with social anxiety in stuttering and has confirmed the capacity of the scales to discriminate between adults who stutter with and without a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (Iverach et al, 2011;St Clare et al, 2009). Decile ranges can be used to determine the frequency of negative thoughts or beliefs that may be associated with social anxiety (Iverach, Heard, et al, 2016).…”