Validation of the self-report version of the Auditory Vocal Hallucination Rating Scale interview, the AVHRS-Q

Interviewing patients about their auditory hallucinations is important both for
therapy and research purposes. A good instrument will provide insight into the
characteristics and severity of the voices. The Auditory Vocal Hallucination
Rating Scale (interview; AVHRS-I) has been developed for this purpose and has
been used in various projects (Jenner et al., 2001; Bartels-Velthuis et al.,
2010; 2011; 2012b). The AVHRS-I has shown to have good psychometric properties
(Bartels-Velthuis et al., 2012a). An AVHRS interview may take about 20 minutes
on average. However, for research purposes it may be preferable to make use of
a self-report questionnaire rather than of interview-based measures. For
instance, in case of TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) therapy, the
therapist may frequently want to know whether the severity of voices has
diminished. A search on self-report scales measuring the (burden of) auditory
hallucinations revealed that some self-report questionnaires in this field are
available (Hayward et al., 2008; Hoffmann et al., 2008; Pinto et al., 2007).
However, as these questionnaires either seem to be less comprehensive (Hoffmann
et al., 2008; Pinto et al., 2007), or its psychometric properties have not yet
been well established (Hoffmann et al., 2008), or only assess a person*s
relationship with his or her predominant voice (Hayward et al., 2008 ), a
self-report version of the AVHRS has been developed at the University Medical
Center Groningen (Van de Willige, Bartels-Velthuis, Jenner), called the
AVHRS-Q(uestionnaire). A few tests with administration of the AVHRS-Q show that
completion takes about 7 minutes on average. Worth mentioning is that once the
AVHRS-Q was developed, the instrument has been implemented in the routine
outcome monitoring procedure for the voices outpatient department, at the
request of the department*s head.

The rationale for developing the AVHRS-Q is that administering a self-report
scale to patients will be more cost-effective and will also be a less burden
for the patients. Therefore, a self-report scale will be applicable in
population studies rather than extensive interviews. However, the AVHRS-Q needs
validation before it can be administered.

To establish the validity of the self-report version of the AVHRS-I interview,
the AVHRS-Q.

Patients with auditory hallucinations are requested to participate in the
study. After being fully informed about the purpose, a consent form is signed.
During one visit, patients will complete the self-report questionnaire AVHRS-Q
and will be interviewed about their auditory hallucinations with the AVHRS-I.
Alternately, either the AVHRS-Q or the AVHRS-I is administered first.

none.