Relationships Between Public Attitudes Toward Stuttering and Autonomic and Subjective Indices of Anxiety

Introduction: Research has shown that adults who stutter have reacted with increased skin conductance and lower heart rates when confronted videos of severe stuttering compared to fluent speech. It not been clearly established how these physiological indices or autonomic arousals are related attitudes. The current study sought compare psychometric measures anxiety attitudes.Method: In a multiple-baseline design, 18 normal hearing university students listened short samples stuttered, masked, normally speech while their rate variability were being monitored by an Empatica E4 wristband device. Pre-experimentally after each condition, they rated comfort level on 1–9 scale. Participants filled out the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI ) (Spielberger, 1977) prior state inventory afterwards. At end, Public Opinion Survey Human Attributes–Stuttering (POSHA–S).Results: No significant main effects observed for either measure three conditions, but interactions significant. Individual participant analysis revealed every respondent differently variability. By contrast, mean subjective ratings more often stuttered masked higher Correlations between all POSHA–S summary scores little relationship attitudes, levels trait associated positive beliefs about people stutter. tended be self-reactions those stutter.Conclusion: This did replicate previous reports heightened reactions among nonstuttering adults, although suggest Further research should explore relationships, especially young children.