Comparison the Quality of Life Among Adults With and Without Stuttering: An Emphasis on the Severity of Stuttering

Abstract

Objective Stuttering can negatively impact the quality of life and cause psychosocial problems for individuals\rwho stutter. The Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering for Adults (OASESA)\ris a comprehensive psychological test containing four components in which the fourth one focuses\ron the quality of life. The main purpose of this study is to examine the quality of life in individuals with\rand without stuttering, as well as the relationship (correlation) between stuttering severity and each\rcomponent of OASES-A test in people who stutter.\rMaterials & Methods Fifty-six adults with stuttering and 56 adults without stuttering participated in this\rcross-sectional study, and they were matched on age, sex, educational level, and vocation. The stratified\rrandom sampling method was used for the survey. The Stuttering Severity Instrument was used to\revaluate the severity of stuttering through the oral reading of a 200-word (448-syllabic) text. Similarly,\rthe quality of life was determined by the overall assessment of the speaker’s experience of stuttering.\rAfterward, independent t-test, Chi-square test, correlation test, Levene’s test, and Spearman’s correlation\rcoefficient were employed to analyze the relationship between quality of life and the components\rof the OASES test. The data analysis was performed with SPPS version 16.\rResults Our results showed that the mean quality of life score of people who stutter was higher than\rthat of non-stuttering people, and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). We also found a\rsignificant correlation between stuttering severity and the quality of life (P<0.001). In addition, there was\rno statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age (P>0.68), gender (P>0.9),\reducation level (P>0.65), and vocation (occupation) (P>0.92).\rConclusion Based on the OASES-A characteristics, people who stutter had a lower level of quality of life.\rIt was also found that the quality of life of people with mild and moderate stages of stuttering was better\rthan the people at severe and very severe stages. In addition, age, gender, education, and vocation were\rfound to affect the quality of life. Therefore, it is important to make positive changes in the psychological\raspect of the assessment and treatment processes of adults with stuttering. In addition, attitude should\rbe considered for better interactions in daily communications and to improve the quality of life.