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Strategies for the Management of Voices Shared in a Brazilian Hearing Voices Group

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Abstract

Hearing Voices peer support groups allow people to construct understandings of their voices. The groups focus on supporting voice hearers in reducing distress associated with voices through an array of strategies. This study sought to describe the voice management strategies shared in a hearing voices peer support group within a Brazilian public mental health service. In this qualitative study we recorded 10 group meetings. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicated five themes, described as: (1) strategies used to avoid distressing experiences; (2) strategies for managing the voices; (3) strategies for seeking social support; (4) strategies for creating a sense of belonging in the community; and (5) strategies related to spirituality and religiosity. These strategies appear to be essential in helping voice hearers feel less alone, reducing the amount of distress associated with hearing voices, and developing coping strategies. These groups provide people who hear voices with the opportunity to share their stories with peers in a group setting, construct new understandings about the experience, and learn strategies for managing their voices. Accordingly, there are great possibilities for the use of these groups within mental health services throughout Latin America.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil

    Lívia Sicaroni Rufato & Clarissa Mendonça Corradi-Webster

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Graziela Reis, Claire Bien, Larry Davidson, Chyrell Bellamy & Mark Costa

Authors
  1. Lívia Sicaroni Rufato
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  2. Clarissa Mendonça Corradi-Webster
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  3. Graziela Reis
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  4. Claire Bien
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  5. Larry Davidson
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  6. Chyrell Bellamy
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  7. Mark Costa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lívia Sicaroni Rufato.

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Ethical Approval

This study and its procedures were approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo.

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Informed Consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Rufato, L.S., Corradi-Webster, C.M., Reis, G. et al. Strategies for the Management of Voices Shared in a Brazilian Hearing Voices Group. Psychiatr Q 94, 243–254 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-023-10032-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-023-10032-z

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