The association between self-perceived stuttering and social participation among older adults

AIMS: Social participation is important for general health and quality of life among older adults. Currently, research concerning the association between stuttering and social participation among older adults with larger data sets is scarce. The aim of this population-based cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between stuttering and social participation among older adults in southern Sweden in 2012. METHODS: Participants were 8518 inhabitants of the Region Skåne in 2012, aged between 55 and 80 years. They were recruited from a larger survey study in which 28029 participated (51.7% average participation rate). The association between stuttering and social participation were conducted with multiple logistic regressions, and adjusted for independent variables (age, gender, country of birth, socioeconomic status, language spoken at home, hearing and self-rated health). RESULTS: The frequency of self-perceived stuttering was 1.9% among women and 3.3% among men. The statistical analyses showed an association between self-perceived stuttering and low social participation. The associations remained even after multiple adjustments, both among women and men. Each independent variable was significantly associated with low social participation. CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based study, the association between stuttering and low social participation is significant among older adults. Stuttering may thus contribute to low social participation in the age group 55-80 years. KEY MESSAGES: • The association of stuttering and social participation in older adults was explored. • Self-perceived stuttering was associated with lower social participation.