Exploring the Marital Challenges of Men with Fluency Disorders: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Stuttering disorder is a common developmental disability whose prevalence is estimated at 1% (68 million people) worldwide and between 0.85% and 1.35% in Iran. Due to its nature, people suffering from this disorder experience many problems not only psychologically but also in social relations, and they need attention in this field. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the challenges men who stutter face at the time of marriage.
Materials and Methods: This qualitative study used thematic analysis. The samples were selected by the convenience non-random method. The data reached saturation with 11 men with stuttering on the eve of marriage. To collect data, a semi-structured interview method was used, and all participants were interviewed in person. To analyze the data, the recorded interviews were transcribed and classified using MAXQDA software.
Results: The average age of the participants was 25.27 years [standard deviation (SD) = 5.53]. Content analysis of the interviews yielded 431 open codes, comprising 41 primary codes, 19 mother codes, and 7 selective codes. The selective codes obtained from the content analysis of 11 texts were: inability to express oneself, fear of being humiliated and ridiculed, feeling of inadequacy, fear of losing others, worry about future marital relationship, worry about future career, hereditary transmission, and psychological problems caused by stuttering.
Conclusion: The results of this research indicated that to reduce the fears and worries of people with stuttering about marriage, it is necessary to correct their cognitions, reduce their cognitive errors (fear of humiliation, feeling of inadequacy, fear of loss), and provide psychological and skill training (life skills and effective communication skills) in line with the fears obtained from content analysis along with speech therapy.