A pilot study of a two-arm, non-randomized controlled trial of guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy for stuttering

[ABSTRACT] To examine the effectiveness of guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) among adults who stutter when applied concomitantly to speech therapy, a pilot study was conducted on patients who were diagnosed as stuttering by an otolaryngologist. Patients were asked to choose between CBT and control groups. The CBT group received seven guided self-help CBT sessions once every one to two weeks, and four speech therapy sessions. Patients in the control group only received the latter once every three to four weeks. To measure subjective severity of stuttering, we used a visual analog scale. To measure stuttering problems, we used the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OASES) and a fluency of speech measure; to measure social anxiety, we used the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), and the Short Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (SFNE); to measure depression, we used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); to measure anxiety, we used the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7); to measure quality of life, we used the EQ-5D-5L. In total, 12 participants had their data analyzed. The mean reduction in the visual analog scale regarding subjective stuttering severity was non-significantly larger in the CBT group than in the control group, with a large effect size. The scores for the OASES, LSAS, SFNE, and GAD-7 of the CBT group showed larger effect sizes than those of the control group. Our findings suggest that guided self-help CBT for stuttering may improve subjective distress for stuttering and social anxiety.