Impact of let’s talk about voices on voice-hearers’ attitudes and ways of coping with voices

Objective ‘Let’s Talk About Voices’ (LTAV) is a resource that uses a hearing voices approach to support people to manage voice hearing. This study’s purpose was to evaluate its impact on voice-hearers’ attitudes to and experiences with voices.Methods A pre-post design was used. Forty-nine voice-hearers completed the Voices Acceptance and Action Scale (VAAS9) and Southampton Mindfulness of Voices Questionnaire (SMVQ) before and after being introduced to LTAV. Fifteen also completed these measures at one-month follow-up. Paired t-tests were used to compare measures between times. Comparative analyses using unpaired t-test and ANOVA were performed for subgroups by gender, duration of voice hearing and level of engagement with the resources. Voice-hearers reported their perspectives about the usefulness and impact of LTAV.Results Average scores on both measures showed a numeric increase from Time 1 to Time 2 (VASS-9: mean change score 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.4 to 3.1; SMVQ: mean change score 1.7, 95% CI = −0.0 to 4.5) and from Time 2 to Time 3 (VASS-9: mean change score 0.7, 95% CI = −0.8 to 2.1; SMVQ: mean change score 1.5, 95% CI = −0.5 to 3.1). Change in VAAS-9 from Time 1 to Time 2 was statistically significant with a moderate effect size (t = 2.7; p = 0.010; d = 0.383). Other comparisons were not statistically significant. People experiencing voice hearing for less than 5 years reported a significantly higher improvement on the SMVQ than others (F 2,43= 3.4, p = .043). Participants indicated that they valued the resources and believed they had made a difference in their lives.Conclusion The relatively promising findings in this proof-of-concept study suggest that LTAV may be a useful resource for mental health workers to use with voice-hearers and justify further research using a controlled design.