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Predicting the impact of stuttering in the school years

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Abstract
Purpose: The goal of the current study was to identify factors contributing to the overall impact of stuttering, as measured by the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OASES) in older children who stutter. Prior research suggests temperament and emotional functioning may influence stuttering impact, whereas findings regarding overt stuttering severity have been inconsistent. Method: Participants were 306 children who stutter (241 boys, 65 girls), aged 9;0–14;11 years old, referred to a specialist center for stuttering. Measures included the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQR), Stuttering Severity Instrument-4 (SSI-4), Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), and Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OASES). A multiple linear regression was conducted with OASES total score as the outcome and predictors including: SSI-4 total score, temperament dimensions (Surgency, Negative Affect, and Effortful Control), RCADS total score, age, and sex. Results: Higher Surgency predicted lower stuttering impact, whereas higher Negative Affect, greater anxiety and depression symptoms, older age, and higher overt stuttering severity predicted greater impact. Effortful Control and sex were not significant predictors. Temperament and internalizing symptoms contributed independently to stuttering impact, beyond overt severity. Predictors operated largely independently within the multivariate model, with no evidence of strong interaction effects. Conclusion: These findings add to the understanding of the factors that contribute to the impact that stuttering has on 9–14 year olds. The results indicate that the impact that stuttering has on a child can be predicted to some degree by their temperament, level of anxiety and depression, age and overt stuttering, but not sex. Future research is needed to identify/include other factors that may strengthen this predictive model, better understand how and why some children are more negatively impacted than others, and to inform clinical practice.
Keywords
anxiety, depression, impact, school-age, stuttering, temperament, REVISED CHILD ANXIETY, PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES, INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES, EXECUTIVE ATTENTION, EFFORTFUL CONTROL, DEPRESSION SCALE, SELF-REGULATION, NEGATIVE AFFECT, PARENT VERSION, TEMPERAMENT

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Citation

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MLA
Eggers, Kurt, and Sharon Millard. “Predicting the Impact of Stuttering in the School Years.” FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, vol. 17, 2026, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1782752.
APA
Eggers, K., & Millard, S. (2026). Predicting the impact of stuttering in the school years. FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, 17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1782752
Chicago author-date
Eggers, Kurt, and Sharon Millard. 2026. “Predicting the Impact of Stuttering in the School Years.” FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY 17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1782752.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Eggers, Kurt, and Sharon Millard. 2026. “Predicting the Impact of Stuttering in the School Years.” FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY 17. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1782752.
Vancouver
1.
Eggers K, Millard S. Predicting the impact of stuttering in the school years. FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY. 2026;17.
IEEE
[1]
K. Eggers and S. Millard, “Predicting the impact of stuttering in the school years,” FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, vol. 17, 2026.
@article{01KQF6WSDB5E9MD317NJK3RQJ6,
  abstract     = {{Purpose: The goal of the current study was to identify factors contributing to the overall impact of stuttering, as measured by the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OASES) in older children who stutter. Prior research suggests temperament and emotional functioning may influence stuttering
impact, whereas findings regarding overt stuttering severity have been
inconsistent.
Method: Participants were 306 children who stutter (241 boys, 65 girls), aged 9;0–14;11 years old, referred to a specialist center for stuttering. Measures included the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQR), Stuttering Severity Instrument-4 (SSI-4), Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), and Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OASES). A multiple linear regression was conducted with OASES total score as the outcome and predictors including: SSI-4 total score, temperament
dimensions (Surgency, Negative Affect, and Effortful Control), RCADS total score, age, and sex.
Results: Higher Surgency predicted lower stuttering impact, whereas higher Negative Affect, greater anxiety and depression symptoms, older age, and higher overt stuttering severity predicted greater impact. Effortful Control and sex were not significant predictors. Temperament and internalizing symptoms contributed independently to stuttering impact, beyond overt severity. Predictors operated largely independently within the multivariate model, with no evidence of strong interaction effects.
Conclusion: These findings add to the understanding of the factors that contribute to the impact that stuttering has on 9–14 year olds. The results indicate that the impact that stuttering has on a child can be predicted to some degree by their temperament, level of anxiety and depression, age and overt stuttering, but not sex. Future research is needed to identify/include other factors that may strengthen this predictive model, better understand how and why some children are more negatively impacted than others, and to inform clinical practice.}},
  articleno    = {{1782752}},
  author       = {{Eggers, Kurt and Millard, Sharon}},
  issn         = {{1664-1078}},
  journal      = {{FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY}},
  keywords     = {{anxiety,depression,impact,school-age,stuttering,temperament,REVISED CHILD ANXIETY,PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES,INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES,EXECUTIVE ATTENTION,EFFORTFUL CONTROL,DEPRESSION SCALE,SELF-REGULATION,NEGATIVE AFFECT,PARENT VERSION,TEMPERAMENT}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{14}},
  title        = {{Predicting the impact of stuttering in the school years}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1782752}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}

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