Communication apprehension and self-perceived communication competence in adolescents who stutter

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the communication apprehension and self-perceived communication competence of 39 adolescents who stutter and 39 adolescents who do not stutter using two standardized communication measures. Significantly higher levels of communication apprehension and poorer scores on self-perceived communication competence were found in adolescents who stutter when compared with adolescents who do not stutter. Subscore test data revealed that adolescents who stutter had significantly greater fears about speaking in Group Discussions and Interpersonal Conversations than they had about Public Speaking and talking during Meetings, when compared with students who do not stutter. They also had significantly poorer perceptions about their own communication competence on the Talking to Strangers subscore test when compared with students who do not stutter. A significant positive relationship among stuttering severity, communication apprehension, and self-perceived communication competence total scores was found. Students who stutter severely had greater fears about speaking in group discussions and interpersonal conversations. Implications for stuttering therapy and the need for specifically addressing communication apprehension in treatment sessions are discussed. Educational objectives: (1) The reader will learn about communication apprehension and fear in people who stutter and be able to describe different types of responses to these fears. (2) The reader will be able to learn about commercially available instruments for testing communication apprehension and compare differences between adolescents who stutter and who do not stutter. (3) The reader will be able to describe and explain the relationship between communication apprehension and stuttering and determine its impact on stuttering and resulting treatment decisions.