Background and Aim: Stuttering is a multifaceted disorder that affects motor control, language performance and communication attitude. It seems that investigating the relationship between overt (stuttering severity) and cover (communication attitude) features of stuttering is necessary. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between stuttering severity and the communication attitude of adults who stutter.
Materials and Methods: Fifty-six adults who stutter participated in this study. The SSI-3 (Stuttering Severity Instrument-3) in the 200 words read text and communication attitude by Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES-A) were used. Spearman's correlation coefficient and Non-parametric Mann-Whitney test were used to determine relationship between severity of stuttering, communication attitude, age and history of treatment.
Results: This study showed that there was not significant correlation between the severity of stuttering assessment and communication attitude (P >0.14). As well as, age with communication attitude (P≥ 0.050) and history of treatment with the stuttering severity (P <0.001) were correlated. The relationship between stuttering severity with age (P >0.13) and communication attitude with history of treatment (P >0.7) were not correlated.
Conclusion: There was no relationship between the severity of stuttering and communication attitude. Since, in people who have had a history of treatment, severity of stuttering was reduced but communication attitude did not reduce, therefore, communication attitude should be considered in treatment.
Keywords: Stuttering, Stuttering severity inventory, Communication attitude, Overall assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering.
