On "Hearing" Voices and "Seeing" Things: Probing Hallucination Predisposition in a Portuguese Nonclinical Sample with the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale-Revised.
Paula Castiajo, Ana P. Pinheiro
Frontiers in Psychology 2017 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01138 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional psychometric and phenomenological study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 354 |
| Population | European Portuguese college students |
| Measures | Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale (LSHS) |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Lshs Hallucination predisposition Nonclinical hallucinations Psychometrics proprieties Psychotic risk |
| Key findings | The Portuguese LSHS showed a three-factor structure, with intrusive/vivid thoughts and sleep-related hallucinations most common. Nonclinical hallucinations were perceived as positive yet uncontrollable and dominating, and higher hallucination predisposition was associated with increased clinical symptoms, suggesting links to schizotypal tendencies, negative mood, and psychotic risk. |
Abstract
The experience of hallucinations is a hallmark of psychotic disorders, but they are also present in other psychiatric and medical conditions, and may be reported in nonclinical individuals. Despite the increased number of studies probing the incidence of nonclinical hallucinations, the underlying phenomenological characteristics are still poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the psychometrics proprieties of the Portuguese adaptation of the 16-item Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale (LSHS), the phenomenological characteristics of nonclinical hallucinatory experiences in a Portuguese sample, and the relationship between clinical symptoms and hallucination predisposition. Three-hundred-and-fifty-four European Portuguese college students completed the LSHS. Of those, 16 participants with high LSHS scores and 14 with low LSHS scores were further screened for clinical symptoms. A three-factor solution for the LSHS Portuguese version proved to be the most adequate. Intrusive or vivid thoughts and sleep-related hallucinations were the most common. Although, fundamentally perceived as positive experiences, all types of hallucinations were described as uncontrollable and dominating. However, the more pleasant they were perceived, the more controllable they were assessed. In addition, hallucination predisposition was associated with increased clinical symptoms. These results corroborate the lower severity of hallucinations in the general population compared to psychotic individuals. Further, they support an association between clinical symptoms and increased vulnerability to hallucinations. Specifically, increased schizotypal tendencies and negative mood (anxiety and depression) may be related to increased psychotic risk.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Phenomenology and Sequelae of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Use Psychiatrists who had taken MDMA | 1992 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Evoking the ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports. Extreme sports participants across three continents, including BASE jumping, big wave... | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 15 |
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Voice-selective prediction alterations in nonclinical voice hearers Scientific Reports September 27, 2018
- Exploring Neural Dynamics in Self-Voice Processing and Perception: Implications for Hallucination Proneness bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) September 22, 2023
- Revisiting Alpha Resting State Dynamics Underlying Hallucinatory Vulnerability: Insights from Hidden Semi-Markov Modeling bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) December 12, 2023
- Measurement invariance of the Spanish Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale-Extended version between putatively healthy controls and people diagnosed with a mental disorder. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research September 20, 2018
Cites 11
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- Visual hallucinations in the psychosis spectrum and comparative information from neurodegenerative disorders and eye disease. Schizophrenia Bulletin July 1, 2014
- A new phenomenological survey of auditory hallucinations: evidence for subtypes and implications for theory and practice. Schizophrenia Bulletin January 2014
- A comprehensive review of auditory verbal hallucinations: lifetime prevalence, correlates and mechanisms in healthy and clinical individuals. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- How do auditory verbal hallucinations in patients differ from those in non-patients? Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 6 more in the library