Correlation between stuttering severity and social phobia in an Egyptian stuttering sample

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to correlate between the severity of stuttering and social phobia in an Egyptian stuttering sample for a better therapeutic plan. Patients and Methods: Stuttering severity index-Arabic version (ASSI) and the Brief Social Phobia Scale (BSPS) were applied on 33 Egyptian sample who stutter with age range from15-23 years old, 14 subjects were adolescents and 19 were adults. Twenty-three were males and ten females. The sample included3 with very mild stuttering, 3 mild stuttering,10 moderate stuttering, 12 severe stuttering and 5 very severe stuttering according to the stuttering severity index-Arabic version (ASSI). Results: The Pearson’s Correlation test revealed a strong correlation between fear, avoidance, physical symptoms and stuttering severity in the whole sample, p value = 0.000, p value =0.001, p value =0.001respectively. As well as there was a strong correlation between fear, avoidance, physical symptoms and stuttering severity in the adolescent’s sample, p value = 0.003, p value =0.010, p value =0.004 respectively. There was a strong correlation between fear, avoidance, physical symptoms and stuttering severity in the adult’s sample, p value = 0.013, p value =0.042, p value =0.078 respectively. Conclusion: These findings provide a strong correlation between fear, avoidance, physical symptoms, and stuttering severity in the whole sample. Accordingly, such data could assist phoniatricians, speech-language pathologists and psychiatrists for a better therapeutic intervention.