title: Self-help conferences for people who stutter: a qualitative investigation.
abstract: Self-help activities for people who stutter (PWS) have been gaining in popularity; however, there is a scarcity of evidence to support their utility in stuttering management. The purpose of this investigation was to understand the lived experience of individuals who attended a self-help conference(s) for PWS from the perspective of a PWS to learn its potential utility in stuttering management. The investigator used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to systematically collect authentic data of this social phenomenon. Twelve participants were recruited from a self-help conference and the self-help community of PWS. Semi-structured interviews were conducted 4-18 months after each participant's last conference. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Themes were explained in investigator narratives and illustrated through participants' quotes. Interpreted themes of the experience of having attended a self-help conference(s) for PWS included: socializing opportunities with other PWS, affiliation, redefining oneself and post-conference disclosures. A conclusion of the study was that the experience of having attended a self-help conference(s) for PWS helped to minimize negative impact that stuttering can have on daily functioning. It appears that self-help conferences were perceived as a safer or "stutter-friendly" environment and promoted social interaction, relationship building, and community building through planned and unplanned activities. Another conclusion was that the experience of having attended self-help conferences for PWS helped participants to communicate more easily. Reported increases in social activity and an "openness" about stuttering, suggest self-help conferences' utility in stuttering management. These findings are supported by other studies about successful stuttering management and self-help activities for PWS. They have helped attendees who stutter to communicate more easily and suggest a reduction in the negative impact that stuttering has on their lives.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The reader will be able to: (1) describe recurring themes associated with the lived experience having attended a self-help conference(s) for people who stutter (PWS) from the perspective of a group of adults who stutter, and (2) describe the potential benefits of attending self-help conferences for PWS in order to make appropriate evidence-based referrals to self-help conferences for PWS.
authors: St. John's University, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Queens, NY 11439, USA. trichonm@stjohns.edu
authors: Mitchell
authors: M
authors: Trichon
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Tetnowski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013342:Stuttering / Q000523:psychology*