Not Anxiety but Self-Regulatory Capacity and Age Predicts Self-Reported Stuttering Severity in Adults Who Stutter (AWS)
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| Title: | Not Anxiety but Self-Regulatory Capacity and Age Predicts Self-Reported Stuttering Severity in Adults Who Stutter (AWS) |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Victor Penda (ORCID |
| Source: | International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 2025 60(6). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Stuttering, Severity (of Disability), Adults, Etiology, Child Neglect, Anxiety, Age Differences, Attachment Behavior, Risk, Self Management, Predictor Variables |
| DOI: | 10.1111/1460-6984.70156 |
| ISSN: | 1368-2822 1460-6984 |
| Abstract: | Background: Previous studies have reported a moderate influence of environmental factors in the aetiology of stuttering. However, psychological and socio-environmental factors in stuttering are often studied independently without exploring their relationships. This makes it difficult to know which factors are most important, especially among adults who stutter (AWS), as much research has focused on the child and adolescents population. The aim of this study was to address these gaps. Methods: After reviewing the literature, a new stuttering scale (PCS-3) was developed to capture the severity of stuttering as experienced by AWS. One hundred and three participants were recruited across five continents from online English-speaking stuttering forums. Participants were between the ages of 18-72. Seventy percent of the sample population were under 30 years old, and 66% were male. Participants with ongoing medical conditions or treatment were excluded. Backward elimination regression was used to identify the most important factors among the tested variables, followed by structural equation modelling to explore their relationship and effects on PCS-3. Findings: The findings suggest that a history of neglect, anxiety, younger adult age and avoidant attachment are risk factors of stuttering severity in this adult sample. However, their effect on stuttering was indirect via a latent self-regulatory capacity (C) construct. Only age had a direct and indirect (via C) small to moderate effect on stuttering. C consistently had a negative moderate to large effect on stuttering across all tested models as measured by the PCS-3. Both age and C accounted for 37% of the variance of stuttering. Implications for research, interventions and limitations are discussed. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1489803 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Background: Previous studies have reported a moderate influence of environmental factors in the aetiology of stuttering. However, psychological and socio-environmental factors in stuttering are often studied independently without exploring their relationships. This makes it difficult to know which factors are most important, especially among adults who stutter (AWS), as much research has focused on the child and adolescents population. The aim of this study was to address these gaps. Methods: After reviewing the literature, a new stuttering scale (PCS-3) was developed to capture the severity of stuttering as experienced by AWS. One hundred and three participants were recruited across five continents from online English-speaking stuttering forums. Participants were between the ages of 18-72. Seventy percent of the sample population were under 30 years old, and 66% were male. Participants with ongoing medical conditions or treatment were excluded. Backward elimination regression was used to identify the most important factors among the tested variables, followed by structural equation modelling to explore their relationship and effects on PCS-3. Findings: The findings suggest that a history of neglect, anxiety, younger adult age and avoidant attachment are risk factors of stuttering severity in this adult sample. However, their effect on stuttering was indirect via a latent self-regulatory capacity (C) construct. Only age had a direct and indirect (via C) small to moderate effect on stuttering. C consistently had a negative moderate to large effect on stuttering across all tested models as measured by the PCS-3. Both age and C accounted for 37% of the variance of stuttering. Implications for research, interventions and limitations are discussed. |
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| ISSN: | 1368-2822 1460-6984 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/1460-6984.70156 |
