Kim Maijer1,2, Tonnie Staring3, Agna A Bartels-Velthuis4, Saskia Jmc Palmen1, Iris Ec Sommer5,6. 1. Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands. 2. De Bascule, The Netherlands. 3. Department for Transition Psychiatry and First Episode Psychosis, Altrecht Psychiatric Institute, The Netherlands. 4. Rob Giel Research Center, University Center for Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. 5. Department of Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. 6. Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are a common feature in youth and mostly transient. Nevertheless, while present, AVH can cause considerable distress. Children and adolescents seeking help for distressing AVH represent a heterogeneous group in terms of underlying factors, yet they consistently suffer from their AVH. Until now, a youth-specific psychotherapeutic intervention for AVH was lacking. Experts in the field of treating AVH in both adults and youngsters collaborated with service users to develop the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) "Stronger Than Your Voices" (STYV). We investigated feasibility and clinical outcomes of the STYV therapy. METHODS: Patients were derived from children and adolescents seeking help for AVH at the UMC Utrecht outpatient clinic with an indication for STYV therapy. Therapists preferably originated from referring health care facilities and were required to have sufficient general knowledge and experience with CBT. They received a short individual training to apply STYV. After, patients and their therapists could participate this naturalistic pilot study, assessing feasibility, tolerability, and clinical change when applying the STYV therapy. RESULTS: Six participants (10-16 years old), all suffering from comorbid psychopathology, provided pre and post measures, all completing STYV therapy without experiencing an aggravation of symptoms. AVH total impact decreased 40% with Cohen's d within-group effect size (1.28) also suggesting clinically meaningful change. Therapists were positive about STYV therapy and manual. CONCLUSION: The STYV therapy is feasible for youth with distressing AVH. First results indicate that STYV may be clinically effective. A trial to further test effectiveness in a larger sample is needed.
OBJECTIVE: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are a common feature in youth and mostly transient. Nevertheless, while present, AVH can cause considerable distress. Children and adolescents seeking help for distressing AVH represent a heterogeneous group in terms of underlying factors, yet they consistently suffer from their AVH. Until now, a youth-specific psychotherapeutic intervention for AVH was lacking. Experts in the field of treating AVH in both adults and youngsters collaborated with service users to develop the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) "Stronger Than Your Voices" (STYV). We investigated feasibility and clinical outcomes of the STYV therapy. METHODS: Patients were derived from children and adolescents seeking help for AVH at the UMC Utrecht outpatient clinic with an indication for STYV therapy. Therapists preferably originated from referring health care facilities and were required to have sufficient general knowledge and experience with CBT. They received a short individual training to apply STYV. After, patients and their therapists could participate this naturalistic pilot study, assessing feasibility, tolerability, and clinical change when applying the STYV therapy. RESULTS: Six participants (10-16 years old), all suffering from comorbid psychopathology, provided pre and post measures, all completing STYV therapy without experiencing an aggravation of symptoms. AVH total impact decreased 40% with Cohen's d within-group effect size (1.28) also suggesting clinically meaningful change. Therapists were positive about STYV therapy and manual. CONCLUSION: The STYV therapy is feasible for youth with distressing AVH. First results indicate that STYV may be clinically effective. A trial to further test effectiveness in a larger sample is needed.