Attitudes toward Stuttering: A Look at Selected Helping Professions - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Attitudes toward Stuttering: A Look at Selected “Helping” Professions

Ann Beste-Guldborg, PhD Nichole Campanale, MS

Review of the Literature:

– Listeners often hold negative views of stuttering and people who stutter (Abdalla &

• St. Louis, 2011; Allard & Williams, 2008; Cooper & Cooper, 1996; Klassen, 2001; Mayo, Mayo, Jenkins, & Graves, 2004; Mitchell,

McMahon, & McKee, 2005).

– Many professionals who interact with, support, and have influence over people who stutter are among those with negative attitudes

– Teachers (Abdalla & ST. Louis, 2011; Crowe & Walton, 1981; Irani, Abdalla, & Gabel, 2012) – School Administrators (Lass, et al.,1994; Yeakle & Cooper, 1986) – Health Care Workers (Silverman & Bongey, 1997; Yairi & Carrico, 1992) – Employers (Hurst & Cooper, 1983) – Vocab Rehab Counselors (Hurst & Cooper, 1983) – SLPs (Lass et al., 1989; Turnbaugh, Guitar, & Hoffman, 1979)

Review of the Literature:

– Some recent investigations have noted a shift in attitudes (Cooper & Cooper, 1996; Klassen 2001;

Swartz, Gabel, & Irani, 2009)

– Still the stuttering stereotype exists (Bloodstein & Ratner, 2008; White & Collins, 1984) – PWS are often characterized by others and by the media as nervous, shy, frustrated, anxious, un-heroic, tense, weak, reactionary, and guarded (Basshardt,

2006; Burley & Rinaldi, 1986; Gabel, 2006; Johnson, 2008; Swartz, Gabel, Irani, 2009)

Review of Literature:

– What is a stereotype? – A s ste tereoty

• type is

is a an e exa xaggerate ted b belie ief a associa

• ciate

ted w with ith a a ca cate tegor

• ry, its

its f function ction is is to s to simp implif ify comp complex s x socia

• cial in

infor

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mation tion or

• r r

ration tionaliz ize con conduct in ct in r relation tion to th to that ca t cate tegor

• ry (A

(Allpor

• rt,

t, 1 1958; F Fox,

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1992). ).

– Stereotypes allow people to have false beliefs, to exclude, to group together, and to diminish

(Crocker, Major, & Steel, 1998; Smart, 2001).

– Consider the prevalence of media portrayals of PWS as criminals, villains, unintelligent, or damaged (Basshardt , 2006; Johnson, 1987; Johnson, 2008). – Misinformed beliefs affect occupational, educational, and social opportunities (Crocker, Major, &

Steele, 1998; Goffman, 1963; Klein & Hood, 2004; Klompas & Ross, 2004, Yaruss & Quesal, 2004) and can expose PWS to

prejudicial and discriminating attitudes as well as bullying (Boyle, Blood, & Blood, 2009).

So at this time:

– A current understanding of the beliefs and attitudes toward stuttering and PWS within various “helping professions” is important. – Members of these professions play critical roles in providing support, assistance, and opportunity for PWS. – Their attitudes and actions can have a significant impact on the self-perception of PWS affecting them personally, socially and professionally (Guitar, 2006; Dorsey & Guenther,

2000; Ezrati-Vinacour & Levin, 2004; Hulit & Wirtz, 1994; Yaruss & Quesal, 2004).

Purpose of the study

– This study examined the beliefs and perceptions of law enforcement, health care, mental health, and educational personnel toward stuttering using the Public Opinion Survey on Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S). – Purpose: to determine current attitudes of people within selected “helping professions” toward stuttering and PWS as well as to discern any significant differences between the groups. – Results will contribute to the current understanding of public attitudes toward stuttering and may inform public awareness and educational campaigns.

Research Questions:

– What are the attitudes of law enforcement, health care, mental health, and educational personnel toward stuttering and people who stutter? – Is there a difference in attitudes between professions?

Method:

– 422 respondents with membership in the health care, mental health, education, and law enforcement professions were recruited for this study – Electronic links sent to 2072 potential respondents from published professional email lists and listservs. Participants were asked to pass survey on as they saw fit. – The Public Opinion Survey on Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S), a well- developed, standardized instrument designed to measure public attitudes toward stuttering (St. Louis, 2011) was used to collect the data. – Data coded according to standard POSHA–S procedures and converted to a -100 to +100 scale, where higher scores reflect more positive attitudes & lower scores reflect more negative attitudes

Demographics:

– Overall response rate was 20.37% Median Age: – Mental Health Workers = 98 45 – Health Care Workers = 101 39 – Education Personnel = 128 41 – Law Enforcement Personnel = 95 36

Demographics- (unremarkable)

– Gender: More females responded to the survey (55%) than males (46%) except law enforcement (80/20%) – Age and Education: The mean age of respondents in this sample was 40.25 years (SD=16.17), with a range from 18 to 68. The mean number of years of schooling was 16.94 (SD=2.69) Mental Health Workers had most education (18.75 years) Law Enforcement least (15.5 years) – Income: Among friends and family (+40.25); Compared to others in the US (+38.75).

Demographics-

Knew a person who stuttered: – Mental Health Professionals 80% – Health Care Workers 78% – Educational Professionals 64% – Law Enforcement 53% **2 respondents reported themselves as a PWS**

Data Analysis:

– Components (clusters of items)

– Traits/Personality – Help, – Cause, – Potential, – Accommodating/Helping, – Social Distance/Sympathy, – Knowledge/Experience, – Knowledge Source

– Sub-scores (clusters of components)

Beliefs About PWS (BEL) -- Those external to respondent

Self Reactions to PWS (SR) – Those internal to respondent

– Overall Stuttering Score (OSS) --(mean of the 2 sub-scores)

– Statistical analysis – Percentages, Means, Standard Deviations, MANOVA

Human attributes – Overall respondents had somewhat negative impressions of people who are

• bese, those with mental illness, and

PWS . – When asked if they would want to be a person who was mentally ill, obese, or a person who stuttered most respondents showed very negative responses. – Respondents knew the least about people who have stuttering disorders, followed by mental illness, obesity, and left-handedness

Results:

POSHA-S Human Attributes n M (-100 to +100) SD

Overall impression of a person who… is obese 422

• 14

94 is left-handed 422 1 76 has a stuttering disorder 422

• 21

82 is mentally ill 422

• 31

105 is intelligent 422 55 88 I would want to be a person who… is obese 422

• 82

85 is left-handed 422

• 13

82 has a stuttering disorder 422

• 86

90 is mentally ill 422

• 91

96 is intelligent 422 71 96 The amount I know about a person who… is obese 422

• 15

100 is left-handed 422

• 9

106 has a stuttering disorder 422

• 45

101 is mentally ill 422

• 17

110 is intelligent 422 36 92

Know PWS: – 69% knew someone who stuttered –

– Mental Health—80 – Health Care—78 – Education—64 – Law Enforcement--53

– 131 respondents did not know a PWS – 2 respondents reported themselves as a PWS

Results

Following are people I have known with stuttering disorders…. n % Nobody ¡ 131 31% Acquaintance ¡ 249

59%

Close friend ¡ 55 13% Relative ¡ 30 8% Me ¡ 2 0.4% Other ¡

97

22%

Selected Component Scores

What are the attitudes of law enforcement, health care, mental health, and educational personnel toward stuttering and people who stutter?

POSHA-S Component Scores Overall Sample Mental Health Health Care Education Law Enforcement

Traits/Personality ¡ 6 ¡ 20 ¡ 1 ¡ 6 ¡

• 5 ¡

Help ¡ 54 ¡ 66 ¡ 51 ¡ 57 ¡ 41 ¡ Cause ¡ 5 ¡ 17 ¡ 7 ¡ 2 ¡

• ­‑7 ¡

Potential ¡ 55 ¡ 79 ¡ 46 ¡ 60 ¡ 35 ¡ Accommodating/Helping ¡ 12 ¡ 21 ¡ 8 ¡ 18 ¡ 2 ¡ Social Distance/Sympathy ¡

• ­‑4 ¡

4 ¡

• ­‑4 ¡

3 ¡

• ­‑18 ¡

Knowledge/Experience ¡

• ­‑7 ¡

11 ¡

• ­‑13 ¡

1 ¡

• ­‑26 ¡

Knowledge Source ¡ 5 ¡ 8 ¡

• ­‑1 ¡

6 ¡ 7 ¡

What are the attitudes of law enforcement, health care, mental health, and educational personnel toward stuttering and people who stutter? Are there significant differences?

Sub-scores, OMI, & OSS

Implications:

– Biggest implications is that there is a need for training and education among these helping professions with regard to stuttering and PWS. – The education needs to be aimed at: – The “stuttering stereotype” – Ways to help – Increasing comfortableness – Getting accurate information out there Very imp impor

• rta

tant b t beca cause-- th these p prof

• fession

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• rt,

t, a and h have in influence ce ov

• ver

peop

• ple w

who s

• stu

tutte tter on

• n a

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Limitations of the Study:

– The small sample size – The low response rate – Snowball sampling offer

Questions

References

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