Self-care symptom management strategies for auditory hallucinations among patients with schizophrenia in Taiwan

Abstract 

This descriptive study explored self-care management strategies for controlling auditory hallucinations (AH) among Taiwanese patients with schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia (N = 200) were recruited by convenience from 2 general hospitals. Self-report and semistructured questionnaires were used to identify 41 self-management strategies. Strategies were categorized into 3 groups: physiological, cognitive, and behavioral. Ignoring AH, a cognitive strategy, was the single most frequently used strategy. As a group, strategies in the behavioral category were used the most. The most common resource for strategies was self-learning. These results can help health care providers better understand self-care management strategies for coping with AH among outpatients with schizophrenia. We suggest the development of a manual of selected self-care strategies identified by these patients to empower other patients to use self-care for AH.