IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/rpsyxx/v17y2025i1p12-22.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Online peer support groups for individuals who hear voices: protocol for a nonrandomised feasibility study

Author

Listed:
  • Alison Branitsky
  • Eleanor Longden
  • Anthony P. Morrison
  • Sandra Bucci
  • Filippo Varese

Abstract

BackgroundHearing Voices Groups (HVGs) have proliferated internationally. They are premised on the notion that connections between peers facilitate personal recovery. Little systematic research exists into if, and how, HVGs may be effective, especially when convened online. This paper aims to harmonise standardised research methodology with the liberatory, survivor-led ethos of many HVGs to outline a protocol for the first longitudinal, nonrandomised trial of an online HVG to take place within UK mental health services.MethodsSix to ten adults who hear voices will be recruited from both community and UK National Health Service (NHS) settings to participate in a six-month peer-support group that is delivered via videoconference. Participants will complete questionnaires assessing social support, voice-hearing and feelings of personal recovery and qualitative interviews at baseline and at the end of the group. Participants will also complete measures of group cohesion at weeks 4 and 12.ResultsData will be analysed for feasibility, acceptability and safety.DiscussionThis is the first longitudinal study evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of an online HVG held within the NHS. The findings may provide insights into the impact of such interventions and inform the design of a future, definitive study.

Suggested Citation

  • Alison Branitsky & Eleanor Longden & Anthony P. Morrison & Sandra Bucci & Filippo Varese, 2025. "Online peer support groups for individuals who hear voices: protocol for a nonrandomised feasibility study," Psychosis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(1), pages 12-22, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:rpsyxx:v:17:y:2025:i:1:p:12-22
    DOI: 10.1080/17522439.2024.2379325
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/17522439.2024.2379325
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/17522439.2024.2379325?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:rpsyxx:v:17:y:2025:i:1:p:12-22. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RPSY20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.