Prevalence of anxiety disorders among adults seeking speech therapy for stuttering

J Anxiety Disord. 2009 Oct;23(7):928-34. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.06.003. Epub 2009 Jun 13.

Abstract

The present study explored the prevalence of anxiety disorders among adults seeking speech therapy for stuttering. Employing a matched case-control design, participants included 92 adults seeking treatment for stuttering, and 920 age- and gender-matched controls from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-being. A conditional logistic regression model was used to estimate odds ratios for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) anxiety disorders. Compared with matched controls, the stuttering group had six- to seven-fold increased odds of meeting a 12-month diagnosis of any DSM-IV or ICD-10 anxiety disorder. In terms of 12-month prevalence, they also had 16- to 34-fold increased odds of meeting criteria for DSM-IV or ICD-10 social phobia, four-fold increased odds of meeting criteria for DSM-IV generalized anxiety disorder, and six-fold increased odds of meeting criteria for ICD-10 panic disorder. Overall, stuttering appears to be associated with a dramatically heightened risk of a range of anxiety disorders.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anxiety Disorders / classification
  • Anxiety Disorders / diagnosis
  • Anxiety Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Comorbidity
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • Fear
  • Female
  • Humans
  • International Classification of Diseases
  • Internet
  • Interview, Psychological
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Odds Ratio
  • Panic Disorder / classification
  • Panic Disorder / diagnosis
  • Panic Disorder / epidemiology
  • Panic Disorder / psychology
  • Personality Inventory
  • Prejudice
  • Social Desirability
  • Speech Therapy / psychology
  • Speech Therapy / statistics & numerical data*
  • Stuttering / epidemiology*
  • Stuttering / psychology
  • Stuttering / therapy
  • Young Adult