Self acceptance of stuttering: A preliminary study.
PURPOSE This study explored the relationship between self acceptance of stuttering and (1) psychosocial factors (self esteem, hostility towards others, emotional support, and perceived discrimination) (2) treatment history (support group participation, therapy duration, and perceived therapy success) and (3) previously reported variables in self acceptance of stuttering, which include age and stuttering severity. METHOD Participants were 80 adults who stutter who were recruited with assistance from the National Stuttering Association and Board Certified Specialists in Fluency Disorders. Participants completed an electronic survey composed of an acceptance of stuttering scale, psychosocial scales, and a participant information questionnaire. RESULTS Statistical analysis identified significant correlations between participants' reports of self acceptance of stuttering and self esteem, perceived discrimination, hostility towards others, and perceived therapy outcome. Self esteem was positively correlated with self acceptance, while hostility towards others and perceived discrimination was negatively correlated with self acceptance. Participants who perceived their therapy outcome to be successful were significantly more likely to report higher levels of self acceptance. No significant relationships were found between self acceptance of stuttering and support group participation, emotional support, stuttering severity, and participant age. CONCLUSION This exploratory investigation has provided a foundation for future studies on the self acceptance of stuttering. The findings indicate common psychosocial variables in self acceptance of stuttering and of other disabilities. The significant relationships between self acceptance of stuttering and psychosocial and therapeutic variables found need to be further explored to identify its causalities and clinical implications. LEARNING OUTCOMES The reader will be able to (1) discuss the importance of assessing self acceptance of stuttering, (2) summarize the literature on self acceptance of disability, and (3) describe the significant findings related to self acceptance of stuttering and psychosocial, therapeutic variables.
Journal of communication disorders