@article{article_1597011, title={Peer Bullying and Self-Esteem in Turkish School-Age Children Who Stutter}, journal={Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi}, volume={22}, pages={85–91}, year={2025}, DOI={10.35440/hutfd.1597011}, author={Yitik Tonkaz, Gülsüm and Yıldırım Demirdöğen, Esen and Çakır, Ali and Kocaman, Sümeyye}, keywords={Peer Bullying, Self-esteem, Stuttering, Children}, abstract={Background: This study aims to examine the prevalence of peer bullying among Turkish-speaking school-aged children who stutter (CWS) and to explore the relationships between exposure to bullying and self-esteem, depression, and anxiety symptoms in these children.
Methods: The study included a case group of 35 children diagnosed with stuttering and a control group of 35 children with fluent speech. The children in the stuttering group were assessed by a speech and language therapist using the Stuttering Severity Instrument. Additionally, all children were asked to complete the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, and the Revised-Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS).
Results: There was a significant relationship between peer bullying experiences, self-esteem, anxiety, and depression symptoms between both groups (p< 0.05). CWS demonstrated greater susceptibility to peer bullying compared to the control group, and they scored higher on the RSES, indicating reduced self-esteem. Furthermore, it was found that symptom scores for depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder increased in stuttering children with low self-esteem.
Discussion: Our study demonstrated that school-aged CWS exhibit lower self-esteem and more pronounced symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders. We believe that healthcare professionals working with the school-age CWS should assess their self-esteem and engage them in activities aimed at enhancing self-esteem, as this may help prevent the development of secondary psychopathologies such as depressive disorder, anxiety disorder.}, number={1}, publisher={Harran University}