Clinical utility of self-disclosure for adults who stutter: Apologetic versus informative statements

The role of stigma-identity constructs in psychological health outcomes among adults who stutter

“…Some AWS use disclosure statements to inform their conversational partners that they stutter. An example of a disclosure statement is "I sometimes stutter, so you might hear me repeat words or sounds, but if you have any questions or want me to say anything again, just let me know" (Byrd, Croft, Gkalitsiou, & Hampton, 2017). AWS report that disclosing stuttering can be beneficial because it relieves pressure to hide stuttering, elicits listener support, and reduces stigma.…”

“…People can disclose their CSI to others through verbal communication and/or actions (Goffman, 1963). A person can verbally disclose that they stutter by telling their conversational partner directly (e.g., "Just so you know I stutter, and it is no big deal to me") (Byrd, Croft, et al, 2017). People who stutter can also disclose stuttering through intentional and unintentional actions.…”

“…Several groups of researchers have examined the effects of disclosure on listener reactions to stuttering (Byrd, Croft, et al, 2017;Byrd, McGill, et al, 2017;Collins & Blood, 1990;Healey et al, 2007;Lee & Manning, 2010). In these studies, participants watched videos of AWS speaking with and without disclosure statements and then described their perceptions of various personal traits of the speaker.…”

“…For example, one group of investigators found that listeners were more likely to perceive people who disclosed their stuttering as more outgoing, confident, and friendly than people who did not disclose stuttering (Byrd, McGill, et al, 2017). Other research indicates that disclosure is associated with more positive listener perceptions when it occurs at the beginning (rather than the end) of a monologue (Byrd, Croft, et al, 2017;Healey et al, 2007) and when the person disclosing is male (Byrd, McGill, et al, 2017).…”

“…Chaudoir and Fisher (2010) describe the ways in which the content of the disclosure statement (e.g., duration, valence, depth), as well as the reaction of the disclosure confidant (e.g., supportive/unsupportive) influence disclosure outcomes among people with CSIs. Research with AWS has shown that disclosing stuttering most positively influences listener perceptions when the speaker discloses at the beginning of the sentence (Healey et al, 2007) with an informative (rather than apologetic) statement (Byrd, Croft, et al, 2017). In order to fully understand the psychological consequences of disclosing stuttering among AWS, more research investigating disclosure goals, duration and depth of disclosure statements, and reactions of disclosure confidants is needed.…”