Inner speech and clarity of self-concept in thought disorder and auditory-verbal hallucinations

de Sousa, Paulo and Sellwood, William and Spray, Amy and Fernyhough, Charles and Bentall, Richard P. (2016) Inner speech and clarity of self-concept in thought disorder and auditory-verbal hallucinations. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 204 (12). pp. 885-893. ISSN 0022-3018

Abstract

Eighty patients and thirty controls were interviewed using one interview that promoted personal disclosure and another about everyday topics. Speech was scored using the Thought, Language and Communication scale (TLC). All participants completed the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS) and the Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire (VISQ). Patients scored lower than comparisons on the SCCS. Low scores were associated the disorganized dimension of TD. Patients also scored significantly higher on condensed and other people in inner speech, but not on dialogical or evaluative inner speech. The poverty of speech dimension of TD was associated with less dialogical inner speech, other people in inner speech, and less evaluative inner speech. Hallucinations were significantly associated with more other people in inner speech and evaluative inner speech. Clarity of self-concept and qualities of inner speech are differentially associated with dimensions of TD. The findings also support inner speech models of hallucinations.