Beliefs and knowledge of the public about people who stutter: Age and sex comparisons

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the beliefs and assess the level of knowledge about people who stutter (PWS) in the Korean public. Methods: The responses of 298 Korean adults were collected for the 'beliefs about PWS,' one of the subcategories in the Public Opinion Survey on Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S). The subcategories consisted of four components (traits/personality, help source, cause, and potential). The four components and the 'beliefs about PWS,' which is the mean score of all components, were analyzed and compared among ages (four groups) and sex. The Alabama Stuttering Knowledge test (ASK) score was also compared. Results: There was no significant interaction or main effect between age and sex for the 'beliefs about PWS' and three of the component (traits/personality, cause, potential) scores. However, age had a significant effect on 'help source,' where the group over 50 years of age showed a significantly higher mean score than the 20-year-old group. The ASK score did not indicate any effect but there were significant correlations between the ASK and 'cause' scores and the ASK and 'potential' scores. Conclusion: The findings suggest that, regardless of age or sex, beliefs about PWS held by the public were not negative in general, although they were not very knowledgeable about stuttering/PWS. Providing more interpersonal and educational support regarding stuttering would help the public increase their positive beliefs about stuttering.