Stammering may be linked with anxiety in some children and adolescents

Children and adolescents who stammer report elevated symptoms of anxiety compared with non-stammering peers, according to a new review of evidence led by UCL researchers. The study, published in the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research and also involving the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, combined and re-analysed findings from 11 previous studies that had compared children and adolescents (two to 18 years) who do and do not stammer on symptoms of anxiety and depression. Although there was substantial variation in reported anxiety symptoms across studies, overall, children and adolescents who stammer report higher anxiety symptoms than peers. There were too few studies concerning depression to reliably comment on risk for youth who stammer. Stammering affects around 5 - 8% of school-aged children. Heightened risk for anxiety in adults who stammer is well documented, but little is known about the onset of anxiety in this population. Lead author, PhD candidate Ria Bernard (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences), said: "An important finding from this review is that children and adolescents who stammer are not a homogeneous group.