The Impact of Psychogenic Stuttering Disorders on Language Ability

A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Abstract

Psychogenic stuttering is a speech disorder that isn't smooth due to emotional trauma without any neurological abnormalities, but the linguistic mapping and blockage patterns haven't been explored in depth. This study aims to analyze the forms of speech disfluency, find out the emotional factors causing it, and see its impact on the patients' language abilities. This qualitative study with a clinical descriptive design collected 123 conversation recordings from two psychogenic stuttering patients at Galuh University through in-depth interviews, observation of conversations, and direct transcript notes from February to March 2026. The data was analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldana. The research results show four main types of speech disfluencies, with interjections as a compensatory strategy dominating at 35.8 percent, followed by blocks at 26.8 percent, blocked phoneme repetitions at 26.0 percent, and fricative sound prolongation at 11.4 percent. These disfluencies stem from disruptions in neuromotor speech coordination that are strongly tied to discourse loaded with emotional trauma. Their systemic impact triggers disintegration of syntactic structures, simplification of diction through spontaneous lexical substitution, and withdrawal from social interaction. In conclusion, linguistic performance and the speaker's emotional state interact dynamically. This study implies the importance of an interdisciplinary approach for language researchers, educators, speech therapists, and psychology professionals to design inclusive environments and psychologically-friendly speech recovery interventions.