Auditory verbal hallucinations among intervention seekers with and without complex PTSD: Prevalence and relationship with dissociative symptoms

Abstract

A growing body of research suggests that auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are associated with trauma and dissociation. Little is known about the prevalence of AVHs in people with complex PTSD after the launch of the ICD-11. Moreover, much less is known regarding which specific dissociative symptoms are associated with AVHs. This study described the prevalence of AVHs in a sample of trauma intervention seekers (N = 213) with and without probable complex PTSD and examined the relationship because AVHs and different specific dissociative symptom clusters. Participants completed validated measures of childhood trauma, complex PTSD, dissociation, and AVHs. In participants with probable complex PTSD (n = 165, 77.5 %), 27.9 % reported AVHs, while 15.4 % of participants with probable PTSD reported AVHs. After controlling for complex PTSD symptoms, two specific forms of dissociation (i.e., memory disturbance [β = 0.217, p = .024] and identity dissociation [β = 0.478, p < .001]) were associated with AVHs. This study provides the first data regarding the prevalence of AVHs in individuals with and without probable ICD-11 complex PTSD. Our findings also contribute to the growing literature on the relationship between AVHs and dissociation. AVHs may be better explained by dissociative processes, especially identity dissociation. These findings suggest that AVHs, at least in some cases, could be a manifestation of identity dissociation.

Keywords: Auditory verbal hallucinations; Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD); Dissociative disorders; Hearing voices; Identity dissociation.