Attitudes toward stuttering of college students in the USA and China: A cross-cultural comparison using the POSHA-S

This study compared the attitudes toward stuttering among college students in China and the USA using the POSHA-S survey, which assesses knowledge about stuttering and attitudes toward it. We investigated how cultural and social differences between the two groups influenced these attitudes. We collected 199 responses to the POSHA-S survey from various universities in China and the USA. We conducted a statistical analysis of 15 summary scores generated from the POSHA-S to determine if there were significant differences in attitudes toward stuttering between the two groups. Additionally, we retrieved percentile ranks relative to the global POSHA-S database to compare attitudes in both groups with global median scores. The study revealed that Chinese college students hold more negative attitudes toward stuttering compared to their American counterparts and the global median scores. We discussed the social and cultural factors that may contribute to these attitudes. Furthermore, our findings emphasized the importance of addressing the lack of accurate information about stuttering in China, which could be a key factor driving these negative attitudes. These results underscore the urgent need to raise awareness about stuttering and promote a shift in public attitudes, especially among college students in China, who play influential roles in society's future. •The scores for the POSHA-S of Chinese students were significantly lower than those of American students and global medians.•Lower knowledge score vs. higher knowledge resource score in Chinese students indicated misinformation in health literacy.•The prevalent beliefs that stuttering should be covered negatively impacted their attitudes toward stuttering.•It implies to improve cultural competence of clinicians, raise stuttering awareness and call for more accurate information.