Loneliness, Hearing Voices as Attachment Figures in Psychosis.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Investigation Of Perceived Loneliness And The Function Of Hearing Voices As Attachment Figures In An Adult Population With Psychosis.
IRAS ID
255710
Contact name
Matthias Schwannauer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
not applicable, not applicable
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research shows links between attachment (close bonds that connect people together) and psychotic experiences (seeing, hearing or understanding reality in a very different way from people around you) and trauma and psychological difficulty. Research also shows loneliness is associated with mental health difficulties, but research in this area focuses on loneliness, depression and anxiety especially amongst older adults and children. We do not know as much about the relationship, between loneliness and psychosis in the wider population. This study aims to explore this potential relationship, but with a focus on hearing voices, a particular experience of psychosis, as research in this area is weak. This study has two parts and will use a mixed methods approach, this consists of questionnaires and interviews. The first section should last about an hour and includes 5 questionnaires exploring the relationship between psychosis, attachment, trauma and loneliness. The second part of the study should also last about an hour and (participation is optional) will explore through interviews the representation and function of these voices.
Those who hear or have heard voices in the past would be invited to participate in the study and recruitment will be done in three ways.
1. An online advert will be placed on various mental health social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Hearing Voices UK which will have a link that people can follow to get more details about the study.
2. Posters (will also include this weblink) will be placed in various Forth Valley NHS sites such as community mental health teams, inpatient ward, and forensic community team.
3. Healthcare professionals in Forth Valley (FV) will be encouraged to identify anyone on their caseload who fits the criteria for the study to take an information leaflet and consider participating.REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0818
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion