Utility of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale in Understanding Stuttering Issues

Kikuchi, Yoshikazu, Maguire, Gerald A., Murakami, Daisuke, Yamaguchi, Yumi, Nakagawa, Takashi, Umezaki, Toshiro

Background: Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder that can significantly affect quality of life. Among adults who seek consultations for stuttering, 40–60% have comorbid social anxiety disorder (SAD). The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) has been developed to assess the severity of SAD, while the overall assessment of the speaker’s experience of stuttering for adults (OASES-A) questionnaire can measure the broader impact of stuttering. However, some medical professionals lack knowledge of such questionnaires. / Aims: Here, we aimed to investigate the correlation between the severity of stuttering and the OASES-A, and between the OASES-A and the LSAS. / Methods: Overall, 51 adults who stutter were included in this study. Stuttering frequency was assessed using a Japanese test, whereas the OASES-A questionnaire captured the comprehensive impact of stuttering on the participants’ lives. The LSAS was used to measure the severity of social anxiety. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the variables. / Results: The average stuttering frequency was 10%, and the mean OASES-A total score was 2.86. The mean total LSAS score was 51.5. While no significant correlation was found between stuttering frequency and OASES-A total scores, a significant correlation was noted between LSAS and OASES-A total scores. / Conclusion: This study found that stuttering frequency did not correlate with the OASES-A. Notably, a novel moderate correlation was identified between OASES-A and LSAS total scores. The LSAS may help to evaluate the challenges faced by people who stutter when the OASES-A is unavailable.

Utility of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale in Understanding Stuttering Issues

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