Characteristics associated with social anxiety in adults with developmental stuttering: A review

Abstract

People who stutter are at a greater risk for developing symptoms of social anxiety, with up to 22-60% of adults who stutter meeting the criteria for a clinical diagnosis. Negative attitudes and feelings about speaking and stuttering are reported to emerge as early as the preschool years and are suspected to be due to exposure to negative listener reactions, stereotyping and social isolation. Repeated negative experiences lead to feelings of fear, embarrassment and loss of control during speaking which over time, leads to the development of more severe difficulties with speaking and an overall apprehension to speak as they perceive themselves as an incompetent communicator. The present review aims to summarize risk factors, particularly temperament and environmental factors, that are reported to play a role in the emergence and maintenance of social anxiety in people who stutter. Another aim of this review is to summarize the features of social anxiety reported in adults who stutter, some of which, are similar to high socially anxious fluent speakers (e.g., avoidant strategies) while others are specific to stuttering (e.g., muscle tension). The clinical implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are also discussed.