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The Perceptions of Adolescents Who Stutter Regarding Communication with Their Parents

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The Perceptions of Adolescents Who Stutter Regarding Communication with Their Parents THE PERCEPTIONS OF ADOLESCENTS WHO STUTTER REGARDING COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR PARENTS Charles D. Hughes A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December 2011 Committee: Rodney Gabel, Advisor Jean M. Gerard Graduate Faculty Representative Alexander Goberman Roger Colcord Margaret Booth © 2011 Charles Hughes All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Rodney Gabel, Advisor This study used a mixed methods approach to explore the perceptions of adolescents who stutter (AWS) between the ages of 12 and 17 related to communication with parents and other significant people about stuttering. In addition, this study sought to better understand the relationship between general communication levels between AWS and their parents and how general communication was related to discussing stuttering. Participants took part in a semi-structured interview and completed the Communication about Stuttering Inventory (CASI) and the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS). Responses to these two questionnaires were used to supplement the thematic analysis for participants. Findings from the interviews revealed four major themes and ten minor themes. Major themes consisted of (1) discussions with parents; (2) decisions about speech therapy; (3) types of parental assistance; and (4) discussions with others. Minor themes were (1) preference to talk with mothers; (2) speech techniques and general information; (3) parents’ idea to begin speech therapy or (4) participants’ idea to begin speech therapy; (5) reminding to use techniques and providing advice; (6) practicing speech techniques together; (7) good listening skills and not interrupting; (8) not directly talked about with friends; (9) rarely discussed with siblings; and (10) sharing experiences with other family members who stutter. Group comparisons between mothers and fathers revealed that participants communicated more with mothers about stuttering versus fathers. In addition, open communication levels were related to levels of communication about stuttering among both mothers and fathers. iv This study is dedicated to individuals who stutter and their parents, families, and friends. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to thank my advisor, Rodney Gabel, for his time, guidance, and support during my graduate education. Also, I want to thank Alexander Goberman for everything that you have done for me. In addition, thank you to Roger Colcord, Jean Gerard, and Margaret Booth for their time, encouragement, and help during my doctoral program and dissertation process. Many thanks to Mark Early for teaching me about statistics and research design. I would also like to express my gratitude to Irv Wollman for his help during my dissertation. Also, thank you to Derek Daniels for your support and friendship, as well as your assistance during my dissertation process. Thank you: Stephanie Richards, Elizabeth Witter, Siva Priya Santhanam, Ramya Konnai, Emily Rusnak, and all the other doctoral students who I have known at BGSU for your support and friendship throughout the years. Thank you to Scott Palasik for your friendship, support, and encouragement. Thank you to Farzan Irani and Stephanie Hughes (along with Derek, Scott, and Eric) for your friendship and for making me feel so welcomed into the doctoral student “family” at BGSU. To Jason Whitfield: Thank you for your friendship. Elina Banzina and Sabiha Parveen: Thank you for being such good friends. A special thank you to Eric Swartz…for being such a good friend and cubicle mate during my doctoral program…we sure did have some good times. Thank you to My Family: Mom, Dad, Tim, Mike, and Muffin, for your love and support during my dissertation, my doctoral program, and throughout my life. Thank you to Pat Carothers for all your encouragement. Thank you to Beatrice Griffin for all your help. Finally, I would like to thank the participants in this study for sharing their stories. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODCUTION ........................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................. 3 The Influence of Parents on the Development of Stuttering ...................................... 3 Early Studies Regarding the Influence of Parents on Stuttering .................... 4 Parental Diagnosis of Stuttering and Characteristics ..................................... 6 Summary ........................................................................................................ 10 Models that Recognize the Importance of the Environment ..................................... 11 Summary ........................................................................................................ 13 The Influence of Parental Interactions on Stuttering ................................................ 13 Speech Rate ................................................................................................... 14 Interruptions ................................................................................................... 18 Other Conversational Aspects........................................................................ 19 Summary ........................................................................................................ 20 Parental Involvement in Stuttering Therapy ............................................................. 21 Summary ........................................................................................................ 24 Adolescence: A Unique Time Period in Human Development ................................ 24 Adolescents who Stutter ........................................................................................... 27 Early Studies of Adolescents who Stutter ...................................................... 27 Recommendations, Reviews, and Suggestions .............................................. 28 Clinical and Psychosocial Aspects................................................................. 32 Anxiety Levels ............................................................................................... 34 vii Perceptions of Adolescents who Stutter ........................................................ 35 Clinical Scales for Adolescents who Stutter .................................................. 36 Summary ........................................................................................................ 37 Parent-Adolescent Communication ........................................................................... 38 Family Systems Theory ................................................................................. 38 The Circumplex Model .................................................................................. 39 Communication in Families with a Child with a Disability ......................... 42 Summary ........................................................................................................ 45 Parent-Adolescent Communication about Stuttering ................................................ 45 Early Studies of Parent-Child Communication about Stuttering .................. 46 Lack of Communication about Stuttering ..................................................... 47 Clinical Recommendations ............................................................................ 49 Summary ........................................................................................................ 51 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................... 52 Purpose ...........………………………………………………………………............ 53 CHAPTER III. METHODS ................................................................................................... 56 Design …………………………………………………………................................ 56 Quantitative Approach ................................................................................... 57 Phenomenological Approach to Qualitative Research ................................. 57 Triangulation of Data ..................................................................................... 58 Participants ................................................................................................................. 58 Procedures .................................................................................................................. 61 Demographic Questionnaire .......................................................................... 62 viii Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS) ........................................ 63 Communication about Stuttering Inventory (CASI) ...................................... 64 Semi-Structured Interview ............................................................................. 66 Analysis...................................................................................................................... 66 Qualitative Data ............................................................................................. 66 Credibility .......................................................................................... 67 Reliability ........................................................................................... 68 Quantitative Data ........................................................................................... 71 CHAPTER IV. RESULTS ....................................................................................................
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