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Abstract
Introduction. Previous studies have shown that auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in psychosis are associated with reduced verbal auditory attention. Whether this is an effect of ongoing AVH or reflects a more stable cognitive vulnerability also present after treating the AVH is unknown. The aim of this study was to follow patients with acute psychosis with and without AVH, and to test their auditory attention in a more stabilised clinical phase.
Methods. Fifty patients (35 males and 15 females) were examined when admitted to an acute psychiatry ward and tested three months later with a dichotic listening test with attention instructions. The patients were divided into a frequent (n = 33) and non-frequent (n = 17) AVH group based on their score on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale item hallucinatory behaviour (≥4 and ≤3, respectively) at baseline.
Results. A significant interaction emerged between AVH group and attention instruction condition; the frequent AVH group failed to control their auditory attention as opposed to the non-frequent AVH group.
Conclusions. Patients with frequent AVH in an acute psychotic state showed impaired auditory attention three months after their AVH had been treated, indicating a stable cognitive vulnerability factor for experiencing AVH.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank psychiatric research nurses Ingvild Helle and Marianne Langeland at the Research Department, Division of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital who assisted with data collection. We also wish to thank the patients and clinical staff at Division of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital for their participation in this study and their support.
Funding
This work was supported by the Research Council of Norway and Haukeland University Hospital.