Mindfulness of Voices and its Relation to Quality of Sleep Among Patients with Schizophrenia Experiencing Auditory Hallucination

Harfush, Souzan Abd El-Menem Abd El-Ghafar; Hafez, Angham Elsaid Tawfik; Moussa, Amal Awad Abd El-Nabi

doi:10.21608/tsnj.2023.328830

Mindfulness of Voices and its Relation to Quality of Sleep Among Patients with Schizophrenia Experiencing Auditory Hallucination

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant professor of Psychiatric &Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Tanta University

² Lecturer of Psychiatric &Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Tanta University

³ Assistant professor of Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University

10.21608/tsnj.2023.328830

Abstract

Background: Auditory hallucinations and sleep disturbances are common clinical issue for patients
diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Sleep disturbances has been identified as a
putative causal factor in the onset and persistence of psychotic experiences.
Additionally, mindfulness may have an effect on improving patient’s sleep quality through acting
with awareness and being non-judgmental towards oneself following the experience of an event.
Aim: Assess the associations between mindfulness of voices, severity of auditory hallucination and
quality of sleep among patients with schizophrenia. Settings: The inpatient psychiatric department
of Tanta University, and The Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neuro-Surgery Center. Subjects: a
convenient sample of 135 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia Tools: Tool I: Socio-demographic
and clinical characteristics, Tool II: - Southampton Mindfulness of Voices Questionnaire (SMVQ),
Tool III: - The Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia Voices Questionnaire (HPSVQ), Tool IV Sleep
quality scale (SQS). Results there was a statistically significant positive correlation between
mindfulness of voices and sleep quality. On the contrary, a statistically significant negative
correlation was detected between severity of voices and sleep quality. Conclusion: Based on the
results of the present study it can be concluded that patients with schizophrenia in the present study
had low mindfulness of voices which lead to exacerbation of hallucinations and subsequently affect
negatively their quality of sleep. Recommendations: Incorporation of mindfulness of voices
strategies into daily living activities of the patients to gain benefits from its application either on
intensity of hallucination or quality of sleep and other aspects of their life. Implementing
mindfulness training intervention to the patients who are suffering from auditory hallucinations to
teach them how to apply it in their life.