Persian overall assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering for Adults: The impact of stuttering on the Persian-speaking adults who stutter

Abstract

Objectives: This paper describes the validation process of the final form of the Persian version of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering for Adults (OASES-A-P). The impact of stuttering on the Persian-speaking people who stutter was compared to other languages. Methods: This study with a cross-sectional design involved 92 Persian-speaking adults who stutter (24 females and 68 males; mean age=20.05±4.85 years). Face and content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and item analysis for discriminant validity were examined. The impact scores and impact ratings were calculated in total and for the sections separately. Results: Cronbach's alpha and ICC proved to be high (0.98; 0.95, P < 0.001 respectively). Corrected item-total correlation revealed no negative score. Mean of total impact score was 2.56(±0.67). Impact ratings for the total impact scores were as follows: mild=8.7%, mildto- moderate=29.3%, moderate=43.5%, moderate-to-severe=15.2%, and severe=3.3%. The impact of separate sections in a high to low order were reactions to stuttering, quality of life, general information, and communication in daily situations. Discussion: The results of the current study offer a reliable and valid form of the OASES, which is applicable for Persian-speaking Iranian adults who stutter. The predominant impact rating of stuttering was shown to be mild-to-moderate and moderate.