A pilot study of an online self-compassion intervention for adults who stutter.
Robyn L Croft, Courtney T Byrd
PMID 37572047WHAT IT FOUND
Ten adults who stutter finished an online self-compassion program and reported less self-judgment and isolation, more mindfulness, and reduced stuttering impact on daily communication and quality of life.
This is pilot evidence, not proof the program works.
Key findings
01Total self-compassion increased significantly from pre to post.
02Total negative impact of stuttering on quality of life decreased significantly from pre to post.
03Participants rated the online modules highly helpful, engaging, easy to navigate, enjoyable, and relevant, with mean ratings from 5.67 to 6.8.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only ten of the fifteen adults provided pre- and post-intervention data, so the findings rest on a small group. The study had no control group, so the changes cannot be separated from time, expectations, or other factors. All outcomes were self-reported, and the paper notes that future work should use a control condition to determine causal influence. Participants reported support group and treatment enrollment during the study, and the paper says the combined effect of existing stuttering treatment or support group plus the online intervention should be explored, so the online program's separate contribution is unclear. Attrition was 33%, and although baseline comparisons found no significant differences between completers and discontinuers, dropouts may still affect interpretation. The study did not test whether improvements lasted beyond the post-intervention week. The sample was studied in a Western cultural context, so cultural generalisability is uncertain. The online format did not allow a therapeutic alliance or tailoring for comorbid diagnoses such as social anxiety or depression.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the online self-compassion program caused the improvements, because this pilot had no control group and only ten of fifteen participants completed it.