Hallucinations and related perceptual disturbance in a non-clinical Spanish population (original) (raw)
Related papers
International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
Objectives: The current study aimed at evaluating the reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and factor structure of the Spanish Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale-Extended version (LSHS-E) in people with mental disorders and healthy controls. Methods: Four hundred and twenty-two individuals completed the Spanish LSHS-E and the Spanish Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences. The convergent and divergent validity of the LSHS-E was assessed with the three dimensions of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (positive, negative, and depressive dimensions) in healthy controls and people with a mental disorder. Factor structure of the LSHS-E was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance. Results: The LSHS-E had a good reliability in healthy controls and people with a mental disorder (Cronbach's = 0.83 and 0.91, respectively). The LSHS-E was more strongly associated with positive psychotic-like experiences than with depressive and negative symptoms. Four factors were found: (a) "intrusive thoughts"; (b) "vivid daydreams"; (c) "multisensory hallucination-like experiences"; and (d) "auditory-visual hallucination-like experiences" that were invariant between the group of healthy controls and people with a mental disorder. Conclusion: The Spanish version of the LSHS-E possesses adequate psychometric properties, and the confirmatory factor analysis findings provide further support for the multidimensionality of proneness to hallucination in clinical and nonclinical samples.
International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie, 2011
RNumerous studies have found that hallucinatory experiences occur in the general population. But to date, few studies have been conducted to compare clinical and nonclinical groups across a broad array of clinical symptoms that may co-occur with hallucinations. Likewise, hallucination-like experiences are measured as a multidimensional construct, with clinical and subclinical components related to vivid daydreams, intrusive thoughts, perceptual disturbance, and clinical hallucinatory experiences. Nevertheless, these individual subcomponents have not been examined across a broad spectrum of clinically disordered and nonclinical groups. The goal of the present study was to analyze the differences and similarities in the distribution of responses to hallucination-like experience in clinical and nonclinical populations and to determine the relation of these hallucination-like experiences with various clinical symptoms. These groups included patients with schizophrenia, non-psychotic clinically disordered patients, and a group of individuals with no psychiatric diagnoses. The results revealed that hallucination-like experiences are related to various clinical symptoms across diverse groups of individuals. Regression analysis found that the Psychoticism dimension of the Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R) was the most important predictor of hallucination-like experiences. Additionally, increased auditory and visual hallucination was the only subcomponent that differentiated schizophrenic patients from other groups. This distribution of responses in the dimensions of hallucination-like experiences suggests that not all the dimensions are characteristic of people hearing voices. Vivid daydreams, intrusive thoughts, and auditory distortions and visual perceptual distortions may represent a state of general vulnerability that does not denote a specific risk for clinical hallucinations. Overall, these results support the notion that hallucination-like experiences are closer to a quasi-continuum approach and that total scores on these scales explain a state of vulnerability to general perceptual disturbance.De nombreuses études ont montré que des expériences hallucinatoires se produisent dans la population générale. Jusqu’à présent peu d’études ont été menées afin de comparer des groupes cliniques et non cliniques à travers une large gamme de symptômes cliniques qui pourraient apparaître en concomitance avec les hallucinations. De même, les expériences de type hallucinatoire sont évaluées en tant que construction multidimensionnelle, avec des composantes cliniques et sous-cliniques reliées à des rêves éveillés très nets, des pensées intrusives, des troubles perceptifs et des expériences cliniques hallucinatoires. Néanmoins, ces sous-composantes n’ont pas été examinées à travers un large spectre de groupes présentant des troubles cliniques et de groupes non cliniques. Le but de cette étude est d’analyser les différences et les similarités dans la distribution des réponses à une expérience de type hallucinatoire dans des populations cliniques et non cliniques et de déterminer la relation entre ces expériences et différents symptômes cliniques. Les groupes comprennent des patients schizophrènes, des patients avec des troubles cliniques non psychotiques et des individus sans diagnostique psychiatrique. Les résultats révèlent que les expériences de type hallucinatoire sont liées à différents symptômes cliniques à travers différents groupes d’individus. Une analyse de régression a montré que la dimension Psychotisme du “Symptom Check List” (SCL-90-R) était le prédicteur le plus important des expériences de type hallucinatoire. De plus, l’augmentation des hallucinations auditives et visuelles est la seule sous-composante qui différencie les patients schizophrènes des autres groupes. Cette distribution des réponses quant aux dimensions des expériences de type hallucinatoire suggère que toutes ces dimensions ne sont pas caractéristiques des personnes entendant des voix. Des rêves éveillés nets, des pensées intrusives, des distorsions auditives et des distorsions perceptives visuelles pourraient représenter un état de vulnérabilité générale qui ne signale pas de risque spécifique d’hallucinations cliniques. Dans l’ensemble, ces résultats appuient la notion que les expériences de type hallucinatoire sont davantage proches d’une conception invoquant un quasi-continuum et que le total des scores pour l’ensemble des échelles explique un état de vulnérabilité à des troubles perceptifs généraux.Numerosos estudios han encontrado que en la población general se producen experiencias alucinatorias. Pero hasta la fecha, se han realizado escasos estudios en los que se comparen los grupos clínicos y no clínicos a través de una amplia gama de síntomas clínicos que pueden coexistir con las alucinaciones. Del mismo modo, las experiencias de tipo alucinatorias se miden como un constructo multidimensional, con componentes clínicos y subclínicos relacionados con sueños vívidos, pensamientos intrusivos, alteraciones de la percepción y experiencias alucinatorias clínicas. Sin embargo, estos subcomponentes individuales no han sido examinados en un amplio espectro de grupos con desórdenes clínicos y grupos no clínicos. El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar las diferencias y similitudes en la distribución de respuestas a las experiencias de tipo alucinatorias en poblaciones clínicas y no clínicas y determinar la relación de estas experiencias alucinatorias con diversos síntomas clínicos. Estos grupos incluyeron pacientes con esquizofrenia, pacientes con desórdenes clínicos no psicóticos y un grupo de individuos sin diagnóstico psiquiátrico. Los resultados revelaron que las experiencias de tipo alucinatorias se relacionan con diversos síntomas clínicos a través de diversos grupos de individuos. A partir de los análisis de regresión se encontró que la dimensión de psicoticismo de la Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R) [Inventario de Síntomas] fue el predictor más importante de experiencias de tipo alucinatorias. Además, las alucinaciones auditivas y visuales incrementadas fueron el único subcomponente en el que se diferenciaron los pacientes esquizofrénicos de otros grupos. Esta distribución de las respuestas en la dimensión de experiencias de tipo alucinatorias sugiere que no todas las dimensiones son características de las personas que oyen voces. Los sueños vívidos, los pensamientos intrusivos y las distorsiones auditivas y visuales-perceptivas pueden representar un estado de vulnerabilidad general que no necesariamente indica un riesgo específico de presentar alucinaciones clínicas. En general, estos resultados apoyan la idea de que las experiencias de tipo alucinatorias se acercan más a un enfoque cuasi-continuo y que los puntajes totales en estas escalas explican un estado de vulnerabilidad hacia el desorden general de la percepción.
Quality of hallucinatory experiences: differences between a clinical and a non-clinical sample
In this study, we asked people from two samples (a clinical one, consisting of patients with schizophrenia, and a non-clinical one, including university students) to complete the Revised Hallucination Scale (RHS) as a self-questionnaire. When the participants responded positively to an item, they were encouraged to provide further detailed descriptions (i.e., examples of their own experiences) concerning that item. We found that the kinds of descriptions provided by the two groups were very different. We suggest that it is not advisable to explore the presence of hallucinations in non-clinical samples using research protocols based exclusively on yes-or-no answers to questionnaires like the RHS. Hallucinatory or hallucinatory-like experiences cannot be reliably and validly assessed without a precise characterization of the phenomenal quality of the experience.
Background: Research on Hallucination-Like Experiences (HLEs) has not yet explored whether people without psychosis who have HLEs attribute the same level of signifi cance to them. This signifi cance includes whether or not the HLEs elicit similar emotional reactions in people with and without psychosis, or if the HLEs occur in same context between the two groups. The objective of this study was to compare the characteristics of these experiences in a non-clinical group and a clinical group of patients with schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Method: Both groups were evaluated to determine the prevalence of HLEs. After the evaluation, they were interviewed about the characteristics of these experiences. Results: Both groups sought to actively eliminate the HLEs, could identify the presence of a trigger factor, and experienced little perceived control. However, HLEs elicited more anxiety, discomfort and interference in daily life in the clinical group than in the nonclinical group. Furthermore, the clinical group members defi ned their hallucinations more negatively and were reported to have experienced them under stressful events. Conclusions: These fi ndings suggest that the two experiences are not entirely equivalent, especially when taking into account the emotional reaction produced by these experiences and the meaning people attach to them.
Prevalence of hallucinations and their pathological associations in the general population
Psychiatry Research, 2000
Hallucinations are perceptual phenomena involved in many fields of pathology. Although clinically widely explored, studies in the general population of these phenomena are scant. This issue was investigated using representative samples of the non-institutionalized general population of the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy Ž . aged 15 years or over N s 13 057 . These surveys were conducted by telephone and explored mental disorders and Ž hallucinations visual, auditory, olfactory, haptic and gustatory hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, hypnagogic . Ž and hypnopompic hallucinations . Overall, 38.7% of the sample reported hallucinatory experiences 19.6% less than . once in a month; 6.4% monthly; 2.7% once a week; and 2.4% more than once a week . These hallucinations Ž . Ž . Ž occurred, 1 At sleep onset hypnagogic hallucinations 24.8% andror upon awakening hypnopompic hallucinations . 6.6% , without relationship to a specific pathology in more than half of the cases; frightening hallucinations were Ž . more often the expression of sleep or mental disorders such as narcolepsy, OSAS or anxiety disorders. 2 During the Ž . Ž . daytime and reported by 27% of the sample: visual prevalence of 3.2% and auditory 0.6% hallucinations were Ž strongly related to a psychotic pathology respective OR of 6.6 and 5.1 with a conservative estimate of the lifetime . Ž . prevalence of psychotic disorders in this sample of 0.5% ; and to anxiety respective OR of 5.0 and 9.1 . Haptic Ž . hallucinations were reported by 3.1% with current use of drugs as the highest risk factor ORs 9.8 . In conclusion, the prevalence of hallucinations in the general population is not negligible. Daytime visual and auditory hallucinations are associated with a greater risk of psychiatric disorders. The other daytime sensory hallucinations are more related to an organic or a toxic disorder. ᮊ M.M. Ohayon . 0165-1781r00r$ -see front matter ᮊ 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Ž . PII: S 0 1 6 5 -1 7 8 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 7 -4 ( ) M.M. Ohayon r Psychiatry Research 97 2000 153᎐164 154
Psicothema, 2015
Research on Hallucination-Like Experiences (HLEs) has not yet explored whether people without psychosis who have HLEs attribute the same level of significance to them. This significance includes whether or not the HLEs elicit similar emotional reactions in people with and without psychosis, or if the HLEs occur in same context between the two groups. The objective of this study was to compare the characteristics of these experiences in a non-clinical group and a clinical group of patients with schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Both groups were evaluated to determine the prevalence of HLEs. After the evaluation, they were interviewed about the characteristics of these experiences. Both groups sought to actively eliminate the HLEs, could identify the presence of a trigger factor, and experienced little perceived control. However, HLEs elicited more anxiety, discomfort and interference in daily life in the clinical group than in the non-clinical group. Furthermore, th...