Relationships between psychosocial factors and quality of life for adults who stutter

Purpose: In this study, the author examined the relationship of social support, empowerment, self-help support group participation, and group identification to quality of life in adults who stutter. Method: Two-hundred forty-nine adults who stutter completed a web-based survey, including measures of social support, empowerment, self-help support group participation, group identification, and quality of life. Results: After controlling for demographic and stuttering parameters, both empowerment in the self-esteem/ self-efficacy domain and social support from family significantly predicted quality of life in adults in the sample. Conclusions: Increased self-esteem/self-efficacy and social support from family relates to improved quality of life in adults who stutter, independent of stuttering severity. Treatments that increase feelings of self-esteem/self-efficacy and strengthen social support from the family should be considered for individuals who struggle to cope with stuttering in order to enhance their quality of life.