Does disorganised attachment lead to auditory hallucinations via dissociation? An experimental study with an analogue sample

Objectives

Auditory hallucinations (such as hearing voices) are common in clinical and non-clinical populations. Many people who hear voices also report early adversity and have an insecure attachment style. Current cognitive models suggest that dissociation mediates an association between disorganised attachment and auditory hallucinations, but this has not been tested experimentally.

Design

We recruited a non-clinical analogue sample highly predisposed to auditory hallucinations and utilised an experimental design to examine the impact of disorganised attachment imagery on hallucinatory experiences, and whether dissociation mediates an expected association.

Methods

Participants completed self-report measures of state auditory hallucinations and dissociation before and after random allocation to secure or disorganised attachment conditions.

Results

Attachment imagery did not affect auditory hallucinations. Both secure and disorganised attachment conditions increased state dissociation. Secure attachment imagery reduced paranoia, but state dissociation did not mediate this effect. An exploratory analysis found that trait dissociation fully accounted for the association between trait-disorganised attachment and hallucinatory experience while controlling for paranoia.

Conclusions

Secure attachment imagery reduces paranoia but not auditory hallucinations and the impact on paranoia is not mediated by dissociation. Secure attachment imagery may be useful in reducing fears and distress associated with voices, rather than the frequency or severity of hallucinations. Disorganised attachment may increase hallucinatory experiences for people vulnerable to dissociation. Trait dissociation should be assessed in clinical settings and addressed where indicated as a means of targeting vulnerability to distressing voices.