Emotional and behavioural problems of children and adolescents who stutter: Comparison with typically developing peers

Abstract

Purpose There are several studies showing contradictory results on concurrent emotional and behavioural problems of children and adolescents who stutter (CAWS). This study aimed to identify whether there is a difference between Turkish-speaking CAWS and their typically developing peers (TDP) in emotional and behavioural problems. Methods The study group consisted of 45 CAWS, aged between 3.40 and 15.92 years, and the control group consisted of 45 TDP, aged between 3.15 and 16.80 years. Participants were divided into three age groups: early childhood (0–6 years), middle childhood (7–11 years) and adolescence (12–18 years). CAWS and TDP were compared separately in each age group with Mann–Whitney U tests. Assessments of emotional and behavioural problems were conducted with the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) for Ages 1.5–5 and the CBCL for Ages 6–18. Results In early childhood, CAWS had significantly higher emotional reactivity, anxiety/depression, somatic complaints, withdrawal, sleep problems, attention problems and aggressive behaviour scores than TDP. In middle childhood and adolescence, CAWS had significantly higher anxiety/depression, withdrawal/depression, social problems, attention problems, rule-breaking behaviour and aggressive behaviour scores compared to TDP. In adolescence, somatic problems and thought problems scores were also significantly higher in AWS than TDP. Conclusions We concluded that emotional and behavioural problems associated with stuttering are noticeable from early childhood to adolescence. Cooperation with mental health professionals may be needed to improve the quality of speech therapy in CAWS.