Public attitude and knowledge of stuttering in Hong Kong and mainland China

Abstract

Stuttering is a fluency disorder characterized by stoppage of speech at an abnormally high rate and duration (Guitar, 2006). The present study aims at studying the public attitudes (beliefs, self-reactions and knowledge) towards stuttering in Hong Kong and Mainland China. A translated Chinese version of Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes for Stuttering (POSHA-S) (St. Louis, 2010) was distributed to convenience samples in Hong Kong and Mainland China, with a total number of 175 completed questionnaires returned in each sampling region. The results showed that stuttering stereotypes are present in both sampling, yet severe discriminations towards people who stutter (PWS) were not noted. The general trends of the mean ratings from respondents from Hong Kong and Mainland China were similar in many ways, yet with several subtle differences noted as well. These findings suggest that promoting knowledge and awareness towards stuttering---such as establishing and promoting self-help organization, and enhancing professional training related to stuttering in both sampling regions---is warranted, to promote the public’s awareness and knowledge about PWS as well as reducing stereotyping of PWS.