Assessing the psychosocial impact of stammering on work

V Parsons; G Ntani; R Muiry; I Madan; G Bricker-Katz

doi:10.1093/occmed/kqab169

Assessing the psychosocial impact of stammering on work

V Parsons, G Ntani, R Muiry, I Madan, G Bricker-Katz

Occupational Health Service, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London SE1 7NJ, UK,School of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
Southampton General Hospital
Occupational Health Service, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London SE1 7NJ, UK
Discipline of Speech Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Stammering (stuttering) is a speech condition with high heterogeneity, affecting approximately 1% of adults. Research shows it can limit career progression, impact job performance and quality of life. AIMS: To assess the psychosocial impact of stammering among healthcare workers and to develop a new workplace support intervention. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire of healthcare workers who stammer with qualitative work and a survey of occupational health (OH) usual care to assess the need for a workplace intervention. RESULTS: Data from 470 staff questionnaires and 32 OH clinicians were analysed. Eighty-four per cent rated their stammering severity as mild-to-moderate, with the majority reporting adverse impact on job performance and career progression. Most experienced a high degree of anxiety and embarrassment at work, with avoidance behaviours commonplace. Four per cent of respondents sought OH advice for work difficulties. Qualitative data highlighted practical challenges staff experience in the workplace. Sixty-five per cent supported the proposal for a new workplace intervention. We found workplace stress and anxiety were the most common reasons for OH referrals, and we found wide variation in the scope of OH assessments and work adjustments recommended. Most OH respondents reported insufficient clinical knowledge of speech disorders and their impact on work. CONCLUSIONS: Stammering can have a negative impact of workers' job performance and job satisfaction. This can precipitate feelings of stress and anxiety, and can affect self-identity at work. We found wide variation in the provision of OH usual care. The results informed the development of a new workplace intervention.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	125-131
Number of pages	7
Journal	Occupational Medicine
Volume	72
Issue number	2
Early online date	2 Dec 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqab169
Publication status	Published - 22 Feb 2022

Keywords

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1093/occmed/kqab169

Cite this

@article{2e7969b39eed478ea29fbee42ea6dc6c,

title = "Assessing the psychosocial impact of stammering on work",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: Stammering (stuttering) is a speech condition with high heterogeneity, affecting approximately 1% of adults. Research shows it can limit career progression, impact job performance and quality of life. AIMS: To assess the psychosocial impact of stammering among healthcare workers and to develop a new workplace support intervention. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire of healthcare workers who stammer with qualitative work and a survey of occupational health (OH) usual care to assess the need for a workplace intervention. RESULTS: Data from 470 staff questionnaires and 32 OH clinicians were analysed. Eighty-four per cent rated their stammering severity as mild-to-moderate, with the majority reporting adverse impact on job performance and career progression. Most experienced a high degree of anxiety and embarrassment at work, with avoidance behaviours commonplace. Four per cent of respondents sought OH advice for work difficulties. Qualitative data highlighted practical challenges staff experience in the workplace. Sixty-five per cent supported the proposal for a new workplace intervention. We found workplace stress and anxiety were the most common reasons for OH referrals, and we found wide variation in the scope of OH assessments and work adjustments recommended. Most OH respondents reported insufficient clinical knowledge of speech disorders and their impact on work. CONCLUSIONS: Stammering can have a negative impact of workers' job performance and job satisfaction. This can precipitate feelings of stress and anxiety, and can affect self-identity at work. We found wide variation in the provision of OH usual care. The results informed the development of a new workplace intervention.",

keywords = "Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health",

author = "V Parsons and G Ntani and R Muiry and I Madan and G Bricker-Katz",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected].",

year = "2022",

month = feb,

day = "22",

doi = "10.1093/occmed/kqab169",

language = "English",

volume = "72",

pages = "125--131",

journal = "Occupational Medicine",

issn = "0962-7480",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Assessing the psychosocial impact of stammering on work

AU - Parsons, V

AU - Ntani, G

AU - Muiry, R

AU - Madan, I

AU - Bricker-Katz, G

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected].

PY - 2022/2/22

Y1 - 2022/2/22

N2 - BACKGROUND: Stammering (stuttering) is a speech condition with high heterogeneity, affecting approximately 1% of adults. Research shows it can limit career progression, impact job performance and quality of life. AIMS: To assess the psychosocial impact of stammering among healthcare workers and to develop a new workplace support intervention. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire of healthcare workers who stammer with qualitative work and a survey of occupational health (OH) usual care to assess the need for a workplace intervention. RESULTS: Data from 470 staff questionnaires and 32 OH clinicians were analysed. Eighty-four per cent rated their stammering severity as mild-to-moderate, with the majority reporting adverse impact on job performance and career progression. Most experienced a high degree of anxiety and embarrassment at work, with avoidance behaviours commonplace. Four per cent of respondents sought OH advice for work difficulties. Qualitative data highlighted practical challenges staff experience in the workplace. Sixty-five per cent supported the proposal for a new workplace intervention. We found workplace stress and anxiety were the most common reasons for OH referrals, and we found wide variation in the scope of OH assessments and work adjustments recommended. Most OH respondents reported insufficient clinical knowledge of speech disorders and their impact on work. CONCLUSIONS: Stammering can have a negative impact of workers' job performance and job satisfaction. This can precipitate feelings of stress and anxiety, and can affect self-identity at work. We found wide variation in the provision of OH usual care. The results informed the development of a new workplace intervention.

AB - BACKGROUND: Stammering (stuttering) is a speech condition with high heterogeneity, affecting approximately 1% of adults. Research shows it can limit career progression, impact job performance and quality of life. AIMS: To assess the psychosocial impact of stammering among healthcare workers and to develop a new workplace support intervention. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire of healthcare workers who stammer with qualitative work and a survey of occupational health (OH) usual care to assess the need for a workplace intervention. RESULTS: Data from 470 staff questionnaires and 32 OH clinicians were analysed. Eighty-four per cent rated their stammering severity as mild-to-moderate, with the majority reporting adverse impact on job performance and career progression. Most experienced a high degree of anxiety and embarrassment at work, with avoidance behaviours commonplace. Four per cent of respondents sought OH advice for work difficulties. Qualitative data highlighted practical challenges staff experience in the workplace. Sixty-five per cent supported the proposal for a new workplace intervention. We found workplace stress and anxiety were the most common reasons for OH referrals, and we found wide variation in the scope of OH assessments and work adjustments recommended. Most OH respondents reported insufficient clinical knowledge of speech disorders and their impact on work. CONCLUSIONS: Stammering can have a negative impact of workers' job performance and job satisfaction. This can precipitate feelings of stress and anxiety, and can affect self-identity at work. We found wide variation in the provision of OH usual care. The results informed the development of a new workplace intervention.

KW - Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85125009992&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1093/occmed/kqab169

DO - 10.1093/occmed/kqab169

M3 - Article

SN - 0962-7480

VL - 72

SP - 125

EP - 131

JO - Occupational Medicine

JF - Occupational Medicine

IS - 2

ER -

Assessing the psychosocial impact of stammering on work

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this