Social Reactions Affecting the Severity of Stuttering among Adults who Stutter: A Qualitative Study

Stuttering is a disorder associated with many social and social consequences for those who stutter. Regarding the decisive role of social reactions in exacerbating or reducing many psychological problems such as stuttering and the culture-related nature of social behaviors, this study was conducted to assess social reactions affecting the severity of stuttering among Iranian adults who stutter.

This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. Sampling was conducted using purposive sampling and continued until data saturation. Finally, 26 stutterers were evaluated through non-structured interviews. Data were simultaneously analyzed with data collection according to the steps suggested by Graneheim and Lundman.

After data analysis, two main categories including “moderating social reactions” and “exacerbating social reactions”, and from these categories, one theme “social reactions affecting the severity of stuttering”, were extracted.

According to the results, adults who stutter, had unpleasant experiences with inadequate level of public’s awareness about stuttering or media ads and some other people’s reactions, which some of them are similar to results obtained in other cultures. The results of this study can be useful in designing educational protocols for increasing the awareness of the society about stuttering, and consequently, play a key role in the treatment process among these individuals.