| dc.description.abstract | Purpose: Demographic data is inconsistently reported and defined in communication sciences and disorders research, yet gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) may be critical considerations for investigations of stuttering. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the global scope and sociodemographic reporting practices among stuttering research published in the year 2020.
Methods: Article searches were conducted in February 2023 in PsycINFO, PubMed, and ASHAWire for studies sampling participants with developmental stuttering or cluttering. Further inclusion criteria for systematic review were that articles must: (a) be published in the year 2020, (b) be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and (c) present original empirical research. Participant gender, ethnicity, and SES were extracted via a manualized coding scheme.
Results: The total corpus for review included k = 92 articles, representing a total n = 7,342 participants recruited from 26 different countries. The majority of articles (k = 36) were based in the United States (US), with all other countries contributing between 1 and 5 articles each. Gender (or sex) was reported in 93.5% of included studies, ethnicity in 22.8%, and SES in 41.3%. Reporting practices did not significantly differ between US and non-US countries. Of note, only one article in 2020 recruited participants who clutter, with all others recruiting participants who stutter.
Conclusion: This is the first systematic review of diversity and reporting practices in the global stuttering research literature. Our results revealed a narrow global distribution of research participants, with limited reporting and analyses regarding participant ethnicity or SES. Consequently, we have identified opportunities to improve research participant transparency and to further consider sociocultural variables toward the advancement of global and inclusive stuttering research. | en_US |
