Globally, negative stigma and misconceptions of stuttering profoundly impact people who stutter, limiting their participation in daily life activities, and vocational, educational, and social opportunities (Boyle, 2018; Boyle et al., 2018; Boyle & Fearon, 2018; Briley et al., 2021a; Werle et al., 2021). Previous anti-stigma interventions have demonstrated moderate attitudinal improvement among the general population toward stuttering (Abdalla & St. Louis, 2014; Boyle et al., 2016; Flynn & St. Louis, 2011; Kuhn et al., 2015; Langevin & Prasad, 2012; St. Louis et al., 2018, 2020a; St. Louis & Flynn, 2018; Weidner et al., 2018). The current study examined previous anti-stigma interventions across various stigmatized conditions, populations, and settings and sought to identify facilitators and barriers associated with stigma reduction toward stuttering. Key components from previously successful interventions were used to guide the formation of a novel evidence-based intervention: a pre-recorded presentation given by a person who stutters designed for adults who are not communicative sciences and disorders students or graduates and do not stutter, which utilized contact and education approaches. Using the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes – Stuttering (POSHA-S) (St. Louis, 2022), a standardized assessment, participants’ attitudes, reactions, and beliefs toward stuttering were measured using posttest only control group design and open-ended questions.
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