How Are Hallucinations And Delusions Shaped By Experiences Of Deafness
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Deafness and Psychosis: How Are Hallucinations And Delusions Shaped By Experiences Of Being Deaf?
IRAS ID
217124
Contact name
Saffron Morris
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Lincoln
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
PSY161745, University ethics application decision
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 2 days
Research summary
Title Of Project: Deafness and Psychosis: How Are Hallucinations And Delusions Shaped By Experiences Of Being Deaf?
The project intends to track the developmental nature of hallucinations and/or delusions in a sample of Deaf adults. There is a paucity of research in the area of psychosis in the Deaf population. A greater understanding of common psychosocial factors and their role in shaping the content of hallucinations and delusions for Deaf individuals may provide more information about the similarity or diversity of these symptoms and inform theory to provide a baseline literature to guide clinical practice.
The researcher intends to use multiple sequential functional analysis (MSFA), a structured case study methodology used to understand the development of behaviour over time to answer two research questions:
1. What are the themes, topography and content of hallucinations and delusions amongst a sample of Deaf adults diagnosed with psychosis?
2. How have the themes, topography and content of hallucinations and delusions been shaped by the individual’s developmental history and the experiences which are unique to being Deaf and Deaf culture?Psychological explanations for the development of hallucinations and delusions will be developed through gathering data from three sources: two comprehensive interviews with participants (a sign language interpreter will be provided), an interview with a relative or professional, and a review of relevant NHS files.
The project intends to recruit 3-4 participants, MSFA has established the efficacy of using this methodology with three participants in tracking the development of behaviour. The individual cases will be compared to identify any similarities or diversities between the individuals and identify distinct features of this population which may contribute to theory development, inform future research or clinical practice.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0036
Date of REC Opinion
2 Mar 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion