Voice-hearers' beliefs about the causes of their voices

Despite empirical evidence for multifactorial causes of voice-hearing, people's own beliefs about what caused their voices are understudied. People with distressing voices (n=125) completed measures of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and beliefs about causality. Most participants reported trauma in the past (97%) and PTSD symptoms were prevalent. Traumatic experiences were the most commonly endorsed causal factor of voice-hearing (64%), followed by distress (62%). Beliefs about biological causes, including drug use (22%), were least endorsed. Those who experienced more traumatic events and more PTSD symptoms were more likely to endorse trauma as a causal factor of voice-hearing (R2=0.38).

Automated summary

This study found that most people with distressing voices believe that traumatic experiences are the main cause of their voice-hearing. In contrast, fewer people endorse biological causes, such as drug use, as contributing factors to voice-hearing.