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Intervention to Improve Attitudes Toward Stuttering: A Multi-Site International Replication and Expansion

Author

Listed:
  • Kenneth O. St. Louis

    (Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26504, USA)

  • Ben Bolton-Grant

    (School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Community Healthcare, Leeds LS11 0DL, UK)

  • Autumn Cannon

    (Special Services, Kelloggville Public Schools, Grand Rapids, MI 49548, USA)

  • Edna J. Carlo

    (Speech-Language Pathology Program, School of Health Professions, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936-5067, USA)

  • Sveta Fichman

    (Communication Disorders, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem 91010, Israel)

  • Shweta Gupta

    (Department of Clinical Psychology, Era University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226003, India)

  • Krittika Kunda

    (College of Community and Public Affairs, Binghamton University (State University of New York), Vestal, NY 13850, USA)

  • Hailey M. O’Como

    (Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Saint Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498, USA)

  • Catherine Porter

    (School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Community Healthcare, Leeds LS11 0DL, UK)

  • Bárbara M. Pratts Pérez

    (Speech-Language Pathology Program, Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus, San Juan, PR 00919-1293, USA)

  • Isabella Reichel

    (Graduate Program in Speech-Language Pathology, Touro University, New York City, NY 11223, USA)

  • Anne Z. Williams

    (Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504-3645, USA)

  • Salman Abdi

    (Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Research Institute of Neurosciences, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan 35131-19111, Iran)

  • Elizabeth F. Aliveto

    (Special Education, Loudoun County Public Schools, Ashburn, VA 20148, USA)

  • Ann Beste-Guldborg

    (College of Education, Montana State University Billings, Billings, MT 59101, USA)

  • Agata Błachnio

    (Institute of Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland)

  • Timothy Flynn

    (School Health Services, Arlington Public School, Arlington, VA 22204, USA)

  • Lejla Junuzović-Žunić

    (Department of Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation, University of Tuzla, 75000 Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

  • Aneta Przepiórka

    (Department of Psychology of Emotion and Motivation, Institute of Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland)

  • Hossein Rezai

    (Rehabilitation Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz 61357-15794, Iran)

  • Chelsea Roche

    (Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26504, USA
    Current address: An independent contractor for Advanced Dysphagia Diagnostics, Montrose, CO 81401, USA.)

  • Mohyeddin Teimouri Sangani

    (Department of Speech Therapy, School of Paramedical and Rehabilitation of Sciences, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 91778 99191, Iran)

  • Michael Azios

    (Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Research Institute of Neurosciences, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan 35131-19111, Iran)

  • Shin Ying Chu

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, Centre for Healthy Ageing and Wellness (H-CARE), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia)

  • Irena Polewczyk

    (Institute of Pedagogy, Department of Social Science, University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-007 Katowice, Poland)

  • Cara M. Singer

    (Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA)

  • John A. Tetnowski

    (Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA)

  • Janet S. Tilstra

    (Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Saint Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498, USA)

  • Katarzyna Węsierska

    (Centre for Research on Stuttering and Cluttering, University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-007 Katowice, Poland)

Abstract

Background: Negative public attitudes promote undesirable stereotypes and stigma in stutterers. Method: To mitigate negative attitudes, 403 respondents combined from 16 international samples filled out the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes–Stuttering ( POSHA–S ) before and after interventions to improve attitudes and were compared to 249 respondents from seven control groups. Investigators aimed (a) to replicate an extreme case of regression to the mean (i.e., “crossover” effect) reported earlier in larger combined samples in which respondents with high pre-scores ended with low post-scores, respondents with low pre-scores finished with high post-scores, and intermediate scorers were unchanged; and (b) to identify individual POSHA–S items related to overall attitude change and among the high and low scorers. Results: As in previous studies, stuttering attitudes improved in the intervention group but not in the control group. Intervention and control respondents demonstrated “crossover” but less than the earlier samples due to lower pre–post correlations. Item contributions to pre–post change and differences among the three change groups were inconsistent; however, high agreement items by respondents were less likely to vary than low agreement items. Conclusion: The “crossover” effect was replicated, and future research should explore its presence in other measures or conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenneth O. St. Louis & Ben Bolton-Grant & Autumn Cannon & Edna J. Carlo & Sveta Fichman & Shweta Gupta & Krittika Kunda & Hailey M. O’Como & Catherine Porter & Bárbara M. Pratts Pérez & Isabella Reich, 2026. "Intervention to Improve Attitudes Toward Stuttering: A Multi-Site International Replication and Expansion," Data, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-32, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jdataj:v:11:y:2026:i:5:p:111-:d:1938360
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