Sikandar Mz, Tahir Fn, Shah Sia.
Self-Esteem and Anxiety among Young Adult Male Stutterers of Central Punjab.
Biomedica Jan ;35(1):37-40.

Background and Objectives: The main objective of the study was to investigate anxiety levels and self esteem in stutterers and assess their relationship with the severity of stuttering and its chronicity have a direct relation with anxiety and its severity. Methodology: Young adult male volunteers (n = 86, age range 17 - 35 years) recruited for this cross sectional study were placed into three groups; controls (non-stutterers, n = 30), mild to moderate stutterers (n = 26) and moderate to severe stutterers (n = 30). Hamilton anxiety scale (HAM-A) and Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) were employed for the assessment of anxiety and self-esteem, respectively. One-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey tests were performed to observe group mean differences. Pearson`s correlation was computed to assess relationship between anxiety and self-esteem. P-values of < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Significantly increased anxiety levels were observed in stutterers as compared to non-stutterers, especially in moderate to severe group. Self-esteem levels of stutterers were not different from those of the non-stutterers. Congenital stuttering was common (48%) and a high proportion (83%) of stutterers reported parental consanguinity in moderate to severe stutterers. No significant correlation was observed between self-esteem scores and anxiety levels (n = 86, Pearson`s R = -0.039, p< 0.721). Conclusion: Stuttering is associated with anxiety and the increase in severity of stuttering leads to higher anxiety levels. Anxiety also worsen stuttering.

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