Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School

College for Community Health

Department/Program

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Michael P. Boyle

Committee Member

Derek Daniels

Committee Member

Ilse Wambacq

Committee Member

Jazmin Reyes-Portillo

Abstract

In research, intersectionality seeks to explore, reflect on, and validate variations in human experience. This study adopted an intersectional approach when contemplating the experience of stuttering for individuals living in the U.S. who identified as Latinx (Latino/Latina/Hispanic). Nine Latinx people who stutter (PWS) - six reported their gender as ‘male’ and three reported their gender as ‘female’, with a mean age of 41, from five U.S. states and Washington, D.C. - participated in the study. A mixed methods design, which consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted online using videoconferencing technology and an online survey that contained three quantitative measures as well as stuttering-related and demographic questions, was used. A thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data. Statistical analyses were performed on quantitative data. Five major themes emerged from qualitative analysis: (1) The Shared Experience of Stuttering, (2) Intersectionality and the Experience of Stuttering for Latinxs, (3) The Experience of Stuttering for Latinx Bilingual Speakers, (4) Therapeutic Experiences of Latinx People Who Stutter (PWS), and (5) Barriers to Accessing Treatment for Latinx People Who Stutter (PWS). In this study, participants who reported more than one stigmatized identity also reported self and social stigma experiences in excess of those attributed to the stigma of stuttering. Additionally, for some people who stutter of Latinx heritage, demographic location mattered in relation to stigmatizing experiences: discrimination was perceived and/or felt more intensely by participants who lived in homogenously White communities. Findings from this study support the use of multidimensional methods of assessment and intervention when working with racially/ethnically, culturally, and/or linguistically diverse populations of people who stutter (PWS).

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