Factors related to Recovery and Relapse in Persons with Stuttering Following Treatment: A Preliminary Study

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate and compare factors related to recovery and relapse outcomes after treatment, among adults with stuttering.

Method: The participants were 24 adults who underwent fluency therapy and reported for follow-up 6 months after cessation of treatment. Pre, immediate, post and 6-months post-treatment follow-up evaluations were done using stuttering severity instrument SSI-3. On the basis of total scores and severity obtained, participants were then grouped as either recovered or relapsed persons with stuttering. A questionnaire was administered to obtain their ratings for the different domains of factors that contributed to treatment outcomes.

Results: A significant difference was found between both the groups with respect to factors contributing to recovery and relapse. The four domains which were found to be more responsible for treatment outcomes in persons with stuttering were: individual related, therapy related, environment related, and behaviour and personality related factors.

Conclusion: The study was conducted with fewer participants, and it is possible that there could be many other pre-treatment and post-treatment factors such as attitude, anxiety, and speech naturalness which may influence the treatment outcomes in persons with stuttering. Future research should include these other factors.