Voice-hearers' beliefs about the causes of their voices

Eva Tolmeijer; Amy Hardy; Alyssa Jongeneel; Anton B P Staring; Mark van der Gaag; David van den Berg

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113997

Voice-hearers' beliefs about the causes of their voices

Psychiatry Res. 2021 Aug:302:113997. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113997. Epub 2021 May 13.

Authors

Eva Tolmeijer¹, Amy Hardy², Alyssa Jongeneel³, Anton B P Staring⁴, Mark van der Gaag³, David van den Berg³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University and Amsterdam Public Health Research, van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, Zoutkeetsingel 40, 2512 HN The Hague, the Netherlands. Electronic address: eva.tolmeijer@vu.nl.
² Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, UK; South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 3BX, UK.
³ Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University and Amsterdam Public Health Research, van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, Zoutkeetsingel 40, 2512 HN The Hague, the Netherlands.
⁴ Altrecht Psychiatric Institute, ABC department for first episode psychosis, ABC straat 8, 3512 PX Utrecht, the Netherlands.

PMID: 34038805
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113997

Abstract

Despite empirical evidence for multifactorial causes of voice-hearing, people's own beliefs about what caused their voices are understudied. People with distressing voices (n=125) completed measures of trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and beliefs about causality. Most participants reported trauma in the past (97%) and PTSD symptoms were prevalent. Traumatic experiences were the most commonly endorsed causal factor of voice-hearing (64%), followed by distress (62%). Beliefs about biological causes, including drug use (22%), were least endorsed. Those who experienced more traumatic events and more PTSD symptoms were more likely to endorse trauma as a causal factor of voice-hearing (R²=0.38).

Keywords: Post-traumatic stress; Trauma; Voice-hearing.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Hallucinations / etiology
Hearing
Humans
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* / etiology
Voice*

Associated data

ISRCTN/ISRCTN75717636