Assessment of Age-Related Differences in Public Attitudes Toward Stuttering Using the Hindi Version of the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S) Questionnaire in Delhi

Abstract

Stuttering affects approximately 1% of adults globally and carries a significant psychosocial burden shaped by public attitudes. Despite growing cross-national evidence using the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes–Stuttering (POSHA-S), age-related differences in public attitudes toward stuttering remain relatively underexplored in the Indian context. To address this gap, in the current study, ninety adults from a rural population of Delhi were divided equally into three age groups: young adults (18–35 years), middle-aged adults (36–55 years), and older adults (55+ years). Age group significantly predicted the Overall Stuttering Score and the Beliefs Score. Across both measures, young adults held comparatively least positive attitudes toward people who stutter, middle-aged adults  showed demonstrated moderately positive attitudes, and older adults consistently showed the most positive attitudes overall. Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons confirmed that young adults scored significantly lower than older adults on both the Overall Stuttering Score and the Beliefs Score. Significant group differences were also observed for the Traits/Personality, Help From, and Potential components. Bonferroni-adjusted post-hoc comparisons indicated that older adults rated people who stutter more positively on Help From and Potential compared with younger adults, while middle-aged adults rated people who stutter more positively on Traits/Personality compared with younger adults, whereas no significant age-group differences were found for Self-Reactions. These component-level patterns suggest that beliefs about the character, potential, and available support for people who stutter accumulate more positively with age, while immediate behavioral reactions to stuttering remain uniformly negative across all age groups. These findings suggest that public attitudes toward stuttering in Delhi become more positive with increasing age, primarily through differences in the Beliefs domain. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have a central role to play in translating these findings into action. As both clinicians and community educators, SLPs are positioned to design and deliver targeted stuttering awareness and destigmatization programs, particularly for young adults who demonstrated the least positive attitudes in the present study. SLPs can advocate for the inclusion of stuttering education in school curriculum, workplace orientation programs, and public health campaigns, and can use instruments such as the POSHA-S to evaluate the effectiveness of such initiatives over time. The results indicate that young adults should be considered a priority target for future stuttering awareness, education, and destigmatization initiatives.