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Determinants of outcome in the pathways through care for children hearing voices
- Authors:
- ESCHER Sandra, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Social Welfare, 13(3), July 2004, pp.208-222.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Auditory hallucination, or hearing voices, is generally associated with psychopathology. In psychiatry it is interpreted as a symptom of an illness, with no connection to the individual's life history. In this study from the Netherlands, 80 children and youngsters hearing voices were interviewed on four occasions over a period of three years about the content of the voices and their overall experience of voices, focusing on the determinants for a promising outcome in the pathways through care. The results indicate that the need for care in the context of the experience of voices is associated not only with high levels of problem behaviour and associated negative symptoms of psychosis, but also, independently, with an appraisal of the voices in terms of anxiety, depression, dissociation and frequency of occurrence. In 60 per cent of the participants the voices disappeared during the three-year research period. The relationship between the disappearance of voices and the course of mental health treatment is, however, ambiguous.
Small talk: voice-hearing in children
- Authors:
- ESCHER Sandra, ROMME Marius, BUIKS Alex
- Journal article citation:
- Open Mind, 92, July 1998, pp.12-14.
- Publisher:
- MIND
It has long been known that children hear voices that could be described as 'auditory hallucinations', but until now there has been little research on subject. Describes a pioneering Dutch study.
Coping defence and depression in adolescents hearing voices
- Authors:
- ESCHER Sandra, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 12(1), February 2003, pp.91-99.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
The level of self-initiated coping defences in the face of auditory hallucinations reflects the degree to which the psychotic experiences are exceeding the person's resources. As it has been suggested that individuals who feel overwhelmed by their psychotic experiences are also more likely to develop depression, greater levels of self-initiated coping defences should predict onset of depression in the context of auditory hallucinations. Eighty adolescents who reported hearing voices were examined at baseline and followed-up three times over a period of 3 years. Fifty per cent were receiving professional care, but 50% were not in need of care. Baseline measurement of self-initiated coping defences and psychopathology were used as predictors of depression at follow-up. Baseline level of self-initiated coping was strongly associated with baseline severity of positive psychotic symptoms. Coping at baseline, with the exception of active problem solving, predicted an increase in the level of depression over the follow-up period, independent of baseline psychopathology, demographic characteristics, receipt of professional care and appraisals and attributions related to the voices. The results suggest that individuals who have a tendency to feel overwhelmed by the experience of voices, as evidenced by a more defensive style of response, are more likely to develop depression.