Online Hearing Voices Groups
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Online hearing voices peer support groups: a feasibility and acceptability study (OHVG).
IRAS ID
321293
Contact name
Alison Branitsky
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 28 days
Research summary
Hearing voices that nobody else can hear (auditory hallucinations) can be a distressing and isolating experience. Previous research has shown that meeting others with similar experiences can help people feel less isolated, cope better with their voice hearing experiences, and experience more hope for the future. While there are many peer support groups for voice hearers that meet face-to-face, many people cannot access these groups. The purpose of this project is therefore to see if it is possible to deliver a peer support group for voice hearers online.
Six to ten adults who live in the UK and currently hear voices will be recruited to take part in the online hearing voices group. Participants will be recruited from secondary NHS mental health services, third-party mental health organisations, and the wider community. Participants will take part in a 1-to-1 interview and complete questionnaires about their voice hearing experiences before the peer support group starts. The group will then meet once a week for 90 minutes for 6 months. In the group, participants can talk about their voices, explore how their voices make them feel, what their voices may be connected to, and learn new ways of understanding and coping with voices. At the end of the 6 months, participants will complete another interview, asking about their experiences within the group, and complete the same questionnaires.
The purpose of this study is to see if it is possible to run a peer support group for voice hearers online and if so, to start to explore how and why these groups may be beneficial. It is the hope that if these groups prove to be effective, they can be rolled out on a more wide-spread basis within the NHS.
This study is being sponsored by the University of Manchester.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/WM/0045
Date of REC Opinion
21 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion