Desensitization-Based Structured Intervention Program for Individuals With Stuttering

NCT07764419 | Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: 3048
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 36
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Stuttering is a common fluency disorder characterized by involuntary interruptions in speech flow, such as repetitions, prolongations, and blocks. It affects approximately 1% of the world's population and typically emerges in the early stages of language development, particularly in preschool. The exact cause of stuttering is still unknown, but it is believed to involve various combinations of genetic, developmental, environmental, and neurophysiological factors (Yairi and Ambrose, 2013). Stuttering not only affects an individual's communication skills but can also significantly impact their psychological and emotional state. Individuals may experience persistent anxiety about being ridiculed or negatively evaluated by others during stuttering episodes, and the pressure to speak fluently in everyday situations can create significant stress and anxiety (Guitar, 2013). The ICF model, developed by the World Health Organization, suggests examining an individual's health status not only at the biological level but also in the context of activity, participation, and environmental factors (WHO, 2001). In particular, the ICF-based model proposed by J. Scott Yaruss and Robert W. Quesal for stuttering offers an important framework for explaining the impact of stuttering on an individual's quality of life. In this context, stuttering is characterized by limited participation in social and professional life in terms of the level of participation (Yaruss \& Quesal, 2004). Individuals with stuttering may experience a number of problems in their professional lives. Job interviews can be given as an example of these situations. Job interviews are an important starting point in the employment process. Job interviews are a situation that creates anxiety and causes avoidance behaviors for individuals with stuttering (Hohulin et al., 2010). Anxiety is defined as "unease, irrational fear, anxiety, worry, distress caused by an unknown danger, misfortune, fear or expectation originating from the unconscious" (Bakırcıoğlu, 2016: 893). When adult individuals with stuttering are faced with a socially threatening, anxiety-inducing environment, they show physical strain and their anxiety increases during stuttering (Bloodstein, 1995; Craig, 2003). The literature reports a positive correlation between threatening or challenging stimuli and the severity of stuttering. For example; Stuttering is observed to increase when speaking to an authority figure, a group, or impatient or critical listeners (Guitar, 2013). Conversely, the frequency of stuttering generally decreases in non-anxiety-inducing situations, such as speaking to a familiar person or someone who is not an authority figure (Craig, 2006). Furthermore, speakers with severe stuttering are more likely to be subjected to negative evaluations and labeling/stigmatization compared to speakers with less severe stuttering (Gabel, 2006). The fear of negative evaluation is defined by Leary (1983) as the individual being evaluated negatively and hostilely by others, or being stigmatized. Stigmatization, in turn, is described as a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing negative attitudes and behaviors towards individuals (Corrigan \& Watson, 2002). The literature includes various therapies for stuttering and the accompanying negative emotional states. One of these approaches is known as desensitization. Desensitization for stuttering is considered an important component of therapy for individuals who stutter. According to most research findings in foreign literature, individuals with stuttering perceive job interviews as a difficult area (Bricker-Katz, Lincoln, and Cumming, 2013; Klein and Hood, 2004; Rice and Kroll, 2006). Furthermore, while many studies focus on the working lives of individuals with stuttering, there are only a few studies specifically addressing job search processes and interviews. No studies addressing job interviews for individuals with stuttering have been found in the local literature. Due to this gap in the literature, our research aims to contribute to the literature and guide future studies in this area. Our study will develop a 10-week desensitization-based therapy program and aims to examine the effects of this structured program on stuttering frequency, fear of negative evaluation, internalized stigma, and anxiety experienced during interviews for individuals with stuttering.

Conditions

Stuttering

Keywords

stuttering; job interview; desentization

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Stuttering frequency

  Change in stuttering frequency calculated from standardized speech samples.

  Baseline (Week 0) and Week 10

• ANXIETY IN SELECTION INTERVIEWS

  MEASURE OF ANXIETY IN SELECTION INTERVIEWS (MASI)

  Baseline (Week 0) and immediately after completion of the 10-week intervention (Week 10)

• fear of negative evaluation

  Change in fear of negative evaluation measured using the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE). Higher scores indicate greater fear of negative evaluation.

  Baseline (Week 0) and immediately after completion of the 10-week intervention (Week 10)

• self-stigma

  Change in self-stigma related to stuttering measured using the Self-Stigma of Stuttering Scale (4S-TR). Higher scores indicate greater self-stigma.

  Baseline (Week 0) and immediately after completion of the 10-week intervention (Week 10)

Study Arms (2)

Experimental

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive the structured desensitization-based job interview intervention program.

Behavioral: Structured Desensitization-Based Job Interview Program

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will not receive any intervention during the study period and will complete the same evaluation program. Following the study proposal and subsequent analysis, the program will be implemented within the framework of freedom and ethical values.

Interventions

Structured Desensitization-Based Job Interview Program BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive a structured desensitization-based job interview intervention program consisting of eight weekly individual sessions. The program includes psychoeducation about stuttering and job interview processes, identification of anxiety-provoking situations, cognitive restructuring, voluntary stuttering, graded exposure through simulated job interviews, and individualized feedback. The intervention aims to reduce job interview anxiety and improve communication confidence and interview performance in adults who stutter.

Experimental

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Aged 18-35,
• Having had at least one job interview before,
• Not actively receiving speech and language therapy support,
• Having a stuttering frequency of 3% or higher

You may not qualify if:

• Lacking an ethical statement
• Above-average results on Beck Depression and Beck Anxiety Inventories

Sponsors & Collaborators

• DİLARA BASER: lead

Study Sites (1)

Fenerbahce

Ataşehir, Istanbul, 34758, Turkey (Türkiye)

RECRUITING

Related Publications (3)

• Yairi E, Ambrose N. Epidemiology of stuttering: 21st century advances. J Fluency Disord. 2013 Jun;38(2):66-87. doi: 10.1016/j.jfludis.2012.11.002. Epub 2012 Nov 27.

  PMID: 23773662 BACKGROUND

• Schloss PJ, Espin CA, Smith MA, Suffolk DR. Developing assertiveness during employment interviews with young adults who stutter. J Speech Hear Disord. 1987 Feb;52(1):30-6. doi: 10.1044/jshd.5201.30.

  PMID: 3807342 BACKGROUND

• Hohulin, A. C. ve Sawyer, J. 2010. "An Employment Interview Desensitization Program Addressing the Speech, Attitudes, and Avoidance Behaviors of People Who Stutter", Perspectives on Fluency and Fluency Disorders, 20(2), 33-41.

  BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Related Info

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stuttering

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Speech Disorders; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Central Study Contacts

DİLARA BAŞER, MSc

CONTACT

+905454546954; dilara.baser@fbu.edu.tr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: PhD student

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 9, 2026
• First Posted: August 14, 2026
• Study Start: July 20, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Last Updated: August 14, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)