The Comparison of anxiety, depression and self-esteem in healthy children and children with stuttering

stuttering in children can affect their mental health and cause undesirable effects on quality of life and the educational performance of the child. The aim of this study was to compare the anxiety, depression and self-esteem in healthy children and children with stuttering referred to the speech therapy clinics of Mashhad and Gonabad cities in 2017.

This case-control study was conducted on 270 students  in 2017 and selected by simple random sampling method. The data were collected using demographic information form, standard PAP self-esteem questionnaire, Spence anxiety and self-assessment of depression in children.

According to the results, the mean scores of self-esteem and its dimensions are statistically significant (P <0.001). Although there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of total anxiety score, the mean of social subscales, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and functional fear and open-mindedness scores showed significant differences (P <0.05). There was a significant difference between the two groups in severity and depression scores (P <0.05).

The results of the research show that children with stuttering have anxiety and lower self-esteem and depression more than healthy children. Therefore, it is important to take the necessary measures to evaluate mental health, preventing psychological problems and timely treatment of these children.