Predictors of public attitudes in Saudi Arabia toward people who stutter

Abstract

Purpose The Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S) was used to measure the attitudes of the general population in Saudi Arabia toward people who stutter (PWS) and to identify the predictors of the overall stuttering score (OSS). Method A total of 404 adults from Saudi Arabia (16.8% male and 83.2% female) completed an online POSHA-S questionnaire. Results The attitudes of adults in Saudi Arabia were similar to those of other samples worldwide. Working status, income, and multilingualism were substantial predictors of the OSS. Conclusion Saudi adults have positive impressions, beliefs, and self-reactions to PWS. However, their knowledge of stuttering tends to be limited. Therefore, campaigns conducted to raise awareness of stuttering should adopt the most widely used sources of knowledge in the Saudi Arabian community (i.e., the Internet and social media). Sociodemographic variables predictive of positive versus negative OSS include working status and multilingualism. Unpredictive variables, that do not predict positive versus negative OSS, include age, gender, education, parental status, health, abilities, and income.