Pathways from trauma to unusual perceptual experiences: Modelling the roles of insecure attachment, negative affect, emotion regulation and dissociation

Abstract

Background: A range of traumas have been linked to voices (auditory verbal hallucinations) and unusual perceptual experiences (UPEs) in other perceptual-sensory domains. Models of PTSD and positive symptoms of psychosis are insufficient in explaining the relationship between trauma and voices. The trauma-related voices (TRV) model was developed to generate novel research in this area. Aims: This study aimed to investigate pathways from trauma to the frequency of UPEs based on a subset of hypothesised relationships in the TRV model. Materials: The PTSD Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5, State Adult Attachment Measure, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales-21, Perth Emotion and Regulation Competency Inventory, Dissociative Experiences Measure Oxford, and Multi-modality Unusual Perceptual Experiences Questionnaire. Methods: We used path analysis in a non-clinical sample (N = 528) to model indirect effects from diverse trauma experiences to the frequency of multi-sensory UPEs via a subset of mediators within the TRV model: insecure attachment, emotion regulation deficits, negative affect and dissociation. Results: Our model was an excellent fit to the data and accounted for 37.1% of variance in UPE frequency, and all direct (βs =.14–.61) and indirect pathways (βs =.01–.08) were significant (ps