A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies on Stuttering Experiences

The purpose of this study was to understand the overall experiences and meanings of stuttering by synthesizing, comparing, and analyzing the lived experiences of people who stutter through a qualitative meta-analysis. This study conducted a qualitative meta-analysis of 22 domestic and international qualitative studies published between 2000 and 2024 that captured the vivid lived experiences of people who stutter. Following the seven steps of qualitative meta-analysis, the study deconstructed and re-synthesized the themes, interpretations, and participants’ narratives presented in the selected studies to identify new categories, reorganize them, and reinterpret the data. Through this process, concepts, subcategories, and overarching categories were derived. The findings were integrated into four main themes: “Life on the Disfluent Path,” “The Journey Beyond Fluency,” “The Journey Toward the Self,” and “The Crossroads of Perception on the Path of Stuttering.” This study explored how stuttering is not merely a difficulty in speaking but is intricately connected to personal and social contexts across the life span. Based on these findings, the study argues that speech-language therapy should be expanded to holistically understand and support the lives of people who stutter.