Investigation of the relationship between stuttering severity and psychological symptoms in individuals with fluent speech disorder

In individuals diagnosed with stuttering; the relationship between stuttering severity and the psychological symptoms is a subject which has been researched for a long time in the literature. The negative effects of stuttering on the individual's social life naturally cause negative effects on the psychological state of the individual. In many studies, stuttering has been associated with anxiety and / or depression, and a screening study for all psychological symptoms has not been achieved. The aim of this study was to evaluate the severity of stuttering in Turkish speaking stutterers and to examine the detailed psychological symptoms of these individuals. A group of 47 individuals who has stuttering disorders have been included in the study, aged over 18. In order to evaluate the severity of stuttering, an average of 300 words were recorded during 15-20 minutes and analyzed afterwards. In order to screen the psychological symptoms of all individuals participating in the study; The Brief Symptom Inventory including Somatization, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, Anxiety, Hostility, Phobic Anxiety, Paranoid Thoughts and Psychotism subscales were applied. As a result, Stuttering Severity is statistically meaningful and has a positive relationship between Short Symptom Inventory Total Score, Somatization, Interpersonal Sensitivity, and Phobic Anxiety sub-scale scores. The results of this study showed that; during the speech therapy of individuals who stutter, psychological symptoms should also be considered and if needed, mental health professionals should be consulted. Key Words: Stuttering, Stuttering Severity, Psychological Symptoms