Beliefs about Auditory Hallucinations and their Correlation with Symptom Severity and Functioning in Schizophrenia
Background: Auditory hallucinations (AH), a core positive symptom of schizophrenia, cause significant distress which may be influenced by the patient’s beliefs about voices. Aims: We aimed to explore beliefs about AH, correlation between beliefs and functioning, and illness severity in patients with...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijsp.ijsp_389_24 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Background:
Auditory hallucinations (AH), a core positive symptom of schizophrenia, cause significant distress which may be influenced by the patient’s beliefs about voices.
Aims:
We aimed to explore beliefs about AH, correlation between beliefs and functioning, and illness severity in patients with schizophrenia.
Materials and Methods:
One hundred participants (aged 18–60) diagnosed with schizophrenia (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) and experiencing significant AH (≥50% days/month) were assessed on a semistructured pro forma, Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms, Clinical Global Impression-Schizophrenia severity scale, Global Assessment of Functioning, and Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale. Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire-Revised was used, to assess three primary beliefs – malevolence, benevolence, and omnipotence and two response styles – resistance and engagement.
Results:
The median age of onset and duration of illness were 23.5 years and 7 years. High scores were noted for omnipotence (median 12.0) and malevolence (median 8.0); benevolence scores were low. Malevolence and omnipotence correlated positively (P < 0.001) with emotional and behavioral resistance (ρ: 0.58, 0.57), higher symptom severity (ρ: 0.43, 0.57), and illness severity (ρ: 0.33, 0.41), and negatively with functioning (ρ: 0.29, −0.32). Benevolence showed no significant correlation with clinical measures. Emotional resistance was negatively correlated with functioning and positively correlated with illness severity and positive symptoms.
Conclusion:
Beliefs about omnipotence and malevolence in AH are correlated with resistance style, higher symptom and disease severity, and poor functioning. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0971-9962 2454-8316 |