Course of auditory hallucinations in childhood: Results of an 18-year follow-up study

Background: Auditory hallucinations (AH) are subclinical psychotic experiences occurring in childhood and adulthood. Although common in childhood, their long-term course and impact on adult mental health remain unclear. This study presents the third, 18-year follow-up of a population-based case–control cohort originally including children aged 7–8 years reporting AH, examining (i) the 18-year course of childhood AH, (ii) their association with mental health in young adulthood, and (iii) associations between current AH and adult mental health.

Methods: At T3, 150 participants (30% male, mean age 26.5 years) of the original N=694 participants completed online questionnaires assessing AH, trauma, cannabis use, mental healthcare utilization, and psychopathology. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square analyses were conducted.

Results: Four participants (3%) reported current AH, compared with 67 (44.7%) at baseline, indicating a largely transient course of AH. Childhood AH at baseline did not significantly predict adult mental health outcomes at T3. Participants with current AH reported more traumatic experiences, higher mental healthcare use, and medication use compared to those without AH, but this difference could not be tested statistically due to the small N.

Conclusions: Childhood AH were not significantly associated with adverse mental health outcomes in young adulthood, although limited statistical power and attrition may have reduced the ability to detect associations. Persistence of AH into adulthood, although rare, may indicate ongoing vulnerability, emphasizing the potential value of monitoring and support.