Abstract

Population-based studies allow inferences to be made about large segments of the population. However, a limitation to many population-based studies is that they rely on secondhand reports. This study examined the incidence of five nonspeech- language co-occurring conditions to stuttering that have been self-reported, using a nationally representative sample of young adults (ages 24-32 years) including some conditions that relatively few studies have explored. Analyses of the association between stuttering and self-reported asthma, attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), anxiety, depression, and epilepsy diagnosis were conducted using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. First the incidence of each condition among respondents with and without stuttering was evaluated. Second, logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between stuttering and each condition, controlling for demographic and parental attributes. Among reports from young adults, stuttering was associated with increased odds of experiencing the following examined conditions asthma, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, and depression. The increased odds of these conditions among people who stutter were significant after controlling for personal characteristics. This study reinforces and extends similar previous findings by showing increased odds of these co-occurring conditions among self-reports from young adults who stutter. While the mechanism(s) linking these conditions to stuttering remains unclear, clinicians and researchers should be aware of these co-occurring conditions and their potential influence on outcomes.