Stuttering-specific self-report scales assessing psychosocial aspects of people who stutter in Japan: A systematic review of measurement and psychometric properties.

PURPOSE: Appropriate assessment of the psychosocial aspects of people who stutter (PWS) is essential for providing effective treatment. However, in Japan, no systematic synthesis is currently available regarding the available self-report measures, the constructs they assess, and their psychometric properties. This study aimed to systematically summarize the self-report psychosocial scales designed for Japanese PWS, as well as the current state of their measurement constructs and psychometric properties. METHODS: Following the PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, PsycINFO, ICHUSHI Web, and CiNii Research were searched on December 6, 2025. Measurement constructs were classified according to the classification proposed by Johnson et al. (2023). The quality of the psychometric properties was assessed by two independent reviewers using the quality criteria proposed by Terwee et al. (2007). RESULTS: Of the 389 records initially retrieved, seven articles validating six scales were included. Regarding the measurement constructs, all six scales (100.0%) assessed the "impact of stuttering" and two scales (33.3%) assessed "speech satisfaction" or "anxiety", whereas no scales measuring "communication attitudes" were identified. In the quality assessment of psychometric properties, positive ratings ("+") were infrequent, accounting for only three of the 54 ratings (5.6%), and "no information on validation" was the most common rating. CONCLUSIONS: Although self-report scales for psychosocial aspects of Japanese PWS exist, the coverage of target populations and measurement constructs is limited, and the verification of psychometric properties remains insufficient. Future research must address clinical needs by appropriately validating unverified properties and promoting knowledge sharing among support providers.