Do voice-hearing assessment measures capture the positive experiences of individuals, and to what extent? A systematic review of published assessment measures

Figures & data

Figure 1. PRISMA flowchart of literature search (2009–2019).

Table 1. Framework of positive experiences of voice-hearing

Category	Description
1. Relationship to voice	The relationship between individual and voice is inherently positive, or the voice represents a positive identity for the individual (e.g. protector, guide, companion, kind God/angel).
2. Beliefs/identity about self as voice-hearer	Individual identifies positively with being a “voice-hearer” or believes that hearing voices provides additional possibilities that are positive for them (e.g. being gifted, skilled, sensitivity, balanced).
3. Function/intention of voice	The intention of the voice/s are viewed as positive (e.g. providing reminders, advice, encouragement) or the impact/function that voices have is positive for the individual.
4. Emotional impact of voice	The voice/s lead individuals to feel positive emotionally (e.g. calm, reassured, confident) or they reduce negative affect for the individual.
5. Meaning-making from VH experience	The individual attributes positive overall meaning from the presence of voices/the experience of voice-hearing. This may include how the individual perceives their voice-hearing experiences in relation to their experience of life, well-being, or their connections with others.

Table 2. Voice-Hearing (VH) measures with number of scale items relevant to positive experiences categories

Study	Scale	Assessment type	Positive relationship to voice	Positive beliefs/identity about self	Positive function/intention of voice	Positive emotional impact of VH	Positive meaning-making from VH experiences
Lowe (1973)	Phenomenologic characteristics of hallucinations.	Open-ended, unstructured interview			1
Hustig and Ha$fner (1990)	Topography of voices rating scale	Self-report				3
Miller et al. (1993)	RSPH*	Open-ended, Semi-structured interview	2	2	5	1	1
Carter et al. (1995)	MUPS	Semi-structured interview	2		2	1	1
Chadwick and Birchwood (1995)	BAVQ	Self-report	1	1	3	3	2
Oulis et al. (1995)	Clinical characteristics of auditory hallucinations*	Open-ended, semi-structured interview			1
Haddock et al. (1999)	PSYRATS-AH	PSYRATS-AH	1
Birchwood et al. (2000)	VPD	Self-report	6
Chadwick et al. (2000)	BAVQ-R	Self-report	(1)	(1)	(3)	(3)	(2)
L. Trygstad et al. (2002)	CAHQ	Self-report	1			1
Mann and Pakenham (2006)	RAHQ^†	Self-report			2
Shawyer et al. (2007)	VAAS^†	Self-report			1
Hayward et al. (2008)	VAY	Self-report	1		1
Gerlock et al. (2010)	UVS/HCSP	Self-report/clinician protocol				1
Haddock et al. (2011)	SEPS^†	Self-report		2	9	12	8
De Chazeron et al. (2015)	PSAS	Structured interview/Clinician ratings	1
Brockman et al. (2015)	VAAS-12	Self-report			(1)
Perona-Garcelán et al. (2015)	DAIMON^††	Self-report	3		2
L. N. Trygstad et al. (2015)	AHIG	Self-report	1		2
Alderson-Day et al. (2018)	VISQ-R	Self-report	1		2	4
Total items for each category			20	5	31	26	12

*Scale items not available, results are estimations based on measure descriptions or “sample” items. ^†Paper developed with service-users. ^††Paper validated in Spanish, English items provided by authors (English validation study in press). Brackets indicate repeated items in revised measures; these have not been included in category total. Measures: RSPH = Rating scale for phenomenology of hallucinations. SAPS = Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms. PANSS = Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. MUPS = Mental Health Research Institute Unusual Perceptions Schedule. BAVQ/R = Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire/Revised. PSYRATS-AH = Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales-Auditory Hallucinations. VPD = Voice Power Differential. CAHQ = Characteristics of Auditory Hallucinations Questionnaire. AHRS = Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale. RAHQ = Responses to Auditory Hallucinations Questionnaire. SMVQ = Southampton Mindfulness of Voices Questionnaire. VAAS = Voices Acceptance and Action Scale. HPSVQ = Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia Voices Questionnaire. VAY = Voice and You Scale. UVS/HCSP = Unpleasant Voices Scale & Harm Command Safety Protocol. SEPS = Subjective Experiences of Psychosis Scale. APSS = Adolescent Psychotic-like Symptom Screener. VISQ/R = Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire/Revised. PaSI = Panic and Schizophrenia Interview. SSI = Schizotypal Symptoms Inventory. PSAS = Psycho-Sensory hAllucinations Scale. VAAS = Voices Acceptance and Action Scale. AHIG = Auditory Hallucinations Interview Guide. MUSEQ = Multi-modality Unusual Sensory Experiences Questionnaire. CAHSA = Continuum of Auditory Hallucinations-State Assessment.

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