Hearing voices (often referred to as "auditory hallucinations") is a common experience amongst the older adult population (those 65+ years of age) and can be associated with increased psychological distress. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a psychological therapy that aims to reduce distress of hearing voices by altering the relationship someone has with voices, and has been shown to improve distress levels for working age adults who hear voices. ACT also appears to be a suitable intervention for older adults distressed by hearing voices, however, there is currently no research that has examined this. Therefore, research is now needed to evaluate whether ACT can support older adults who experience distress from hearing voices. This study will use a case study based research method, known as a Hermeneutic Single-Case Efficacy Design (HSCED) series. This method will involve 3 participants who will receive ACT for hearing voices. This will be delivered across approximately twelve 90-minute sessions. Participants will be asked to complete measures that assess areas such as distress levels and quality of life, which will be completed before, during and after therapy. A detailed report of each participant's level of progress will then be generated and evaluated by expert judges. This will determine whether progress has occurred as a direct result of the therapy, or due to other reasons, and allow conclusions to be drawn about the use of ACT for older adults distressed by hearing voices. Participants will be recruited from either Local Mental Health Teams at Nottinghamshire NHS Foundation Trust, or from the Hearing Voices Group in Beeston (Nottingham). Participants will be required to be age 65+ years and currently experience hearing voices that cause them distress. This study will be funded by the NHS and is estimated to last approximately 12-months with 5-months of participant involvement.
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Voices Acceptance and Action Scale-9 (Brockman et al., 2015)
Timeframe: Approx. 0 weeks (baseline), 6 weeks (mid-therapy), 12-14 weeks (post therapy), 16-18 weeks (4-6 week follow-up) following enrolment to the study.
Beliefs about voices questionnaire-revised (Chadwick et al., 2000)
Timeframe: Approx. 0 weeks (baseline), 6 weeks (mid-therapy), 12-14 weeks (post therapy), 16-18 weeks (4-6 week follow-up) following enrolment to the study.
Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995)
Timeframe: Approx. 0 weeks (baseline), 6 weeks (mid-therapy), 12-14 weeks (post therapy), 16-18 weeks (4-6 week follow-up) following enrolment to the study.
Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy processes, short-form (Morris et al., 2019)
Timeframe: Approx. 0 weeks (baseline), 6 weeks (mid-therapy), 12-14 weeks (post therapy), 16-18 weeks (4-6 week follow-up) following enrolment to the study.
Older People's Quality of Life questionnaire, brief version (Bowling et al., 2013)
Timeframe: Approx. 0 weeks (baseline), 6 weeks (mid-therapy), 12-14 weeks (post therapy), 16-18 weeks (4-6 week follow-up) following enrolment to the study.
The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (Haddock et al., 1999) - Auditory Hallucination Sub-Scale
Timeframe: Approx. 0 weeks, 6 weeks, 12-14 weeks, 16-18 weeks following enrolment to the study.