Moment-to-moment associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms and auditory hallucinations in the flow of daily life

Abstract

Traumatic events are associated with increased risk of auditory hallucinations (AHs) and posttraumatic stress symptoms have been implicated in this relationship. We aimed to explore the moment-to-moment relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms and AHs in daily-life. Twenty-eight people with persistent AHs and a history of traumatic events completed six-days of ecological momentary assessment. We assessed AHs, trauma memory intrusions, avoidance, and hyperarousal at ten time points each day. Multi-level modelling showed that the severity of trauma memory intrusions (but not avoidance or hyperarousal) within the preceding hour was associated with the occurrence of AHs. This relationship was significantly stronger for people with a direct link between the content of their AHs and trauma history. In time-lagged analyses, main effects of trauma memory intrusions, avoidance, and hyperarousal on AHs were not significant. Trauma memory intrusions have momentary associations with AHs and this relationship is stronger and more enduring for those with a direct link between their AH and the trauma. Our findings are in keeping with the proposal that intrusive trauma memories are associated with the occurrence of (some) AHs.