Public attitudes toward stuttering and cluttering in Chinese and Japanese speech-language pathology students

• Published in: Journal of fluency disorders 2024-12, Vol.82, p.106077, Article 106077
• Main Authors: Chen, Yu-An, Miyamoto, Shoko, Louis, Kenneth O. St
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; China; Cluttering: Attitudes; Cross-Cultural Comparison; East Asian People; Female; Humans; Japan; Male; Public Opinion; Speech-Language Pathology - education; Students - psychology; Stuttering; Stuttering - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0094-730X; 1873-801X; 1873-801X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfludis.2024.106077

This study utilized the Chinese and Japanese translations of the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA–S) and Cluttering (POSHA–Cl) to compare the differences in (a) attitudes towards stuttering versus cluttering in speech-language pathology (SLP) students in either China or Japan, (b) attitudes of SLP students in China versus Japan towards either stuttering or cluttering, and (c) attitudes of Chinese and Japanese students versus international databases for stuttering and cluttering. The POSHA–S and POSHA–Cl were both administered to 99 SLP students from six universities in China and 352 SLP students from two universities in Japan. Attitudes toward stuttering were markedly different for Chinese versus Japanese students. Overall, stuttering attitudes were slightly more positive than cluttering attitudes in both countries; however, compared to China, Japanese SLP students attitudes toward stuttering and cluttering were more disimilar. In addition, compared with the international database, the attitudes of Chinese and Japanese SLP students toward self-reactions to both disorders were more positive. Chinese and Japanese SLP students’ attitudes toward both stuttering and cluttering are likely to be influenced by geography, culture, education, and the “halo effect.” The attitudes of the SLP students in China and Japan are more negative than the attitudes as shown in the global data. •Even between two neighboring countries in Asia, there may be differences in attitudes towards stuttering and cluttering due to differences in culture and social environment.•In the field of speech-language pathology education, both China and Japan need to enhance students' positive attitudes towards stuttering and cluttering.•Students have a less positive attitude towards cluttering compared to stuttering.•Enhancing students' exposure to and understanding of people who stutter and clutter can help reduce the negative impact of cultural influences on attitudes.