Family History of Stuttering in Korean Children Who Stutter

Shin, Moonja; Chon, HeeCheong; Lee, JiSuk

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Commun Sci Disord. 2011;16(3): 304-311.

Moonja Shin^` , HeeCheong Chon^` , and JiSuk Lee^`

신문자(Moonja Shin)| 전희정(HeeCheong Chon)| 이지숙(JiSuk Lee)

ABSTRACT

Background & Objectives
The purpose of this study was to investigate the family history of stuttering in young Korean children who stutter (CWS).
Methods
Participants were 227 CWS, 2 to 6 years of age (180 boys and 47 girls). Information regarding family history of stuttering was collected.
Results
In this study, 49.3% of CWS (112 CWS) reported a family history of stuttering. Of children whose first-degree relative(s) had stuttering problems (48 boys and 14 girls), the percentage of male relatives who stuttered in the families of stuttering boys was 47.9%, and the percentage of female relatives who stuttered was 50.0%. The percentage of male relatives who stuttered in the families of stuttering girls was 57.1%, and the percentage of female relatives who stuttered was 42.9%. Discussion & Conclusions: The high incidence of stuttering in the family of CWS supports previous research, which has indicated that the incidence of stuttering is higher in stuttering populations. Differences in sex or type of family history (i.e., paternal, maternal), however, were not significant. This may indicate that stuttering is not a homogeneous disorder.