Mediation of the relationship between inner voice experiences and health-related quality of life

PROBLEM: Appraisals tied to voice hearing and other subjective experiences pose serious challenges for nursing because of their implications for health and safety of voice hearers and others. METHOD: An exploratory, correlational design involving hierarchical analysis of data from 337 voice hearers. FINDINGS: Inner voice experiences and subjective-deficit symptoms each had significant negative, independent effects on perceptions of the integrity of the functional nervous system, self-esteem, and health-related quality of life. The combination of subjective-deficit symptoms, perceptions of the integrity of the functional nervous system and self-esteem significantly reduced the negative impact of inner voice experiences on health related quality of life (R2 = .511). Perceived integrity of the functional nervous system and self-esteem together almost completely attenuated the impact of voice hearing on subjects' health-related quality of life. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the need to develop strategies that can help voice hearers respond to inner experiences in a more positive manner.