THE OMNIPOTENCE OF VOICES .2. THE BELIEFS ABOUT VOICES QUESTIONNAIRE (BAVQ)

Background. We describe the development and psychometric investigation of the Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire (BAVO), a self-report measu re of how people understand and respond to their voices. The measure i s unique in being driven by and gathering data essential to a cognitiv e formulation of voices. Method. Sixty subjects with chronic hallucina tory voices took part. Results. Psychometric properties of the scales were established, including test-retest reliability (mean = 0.89), int ernal reliability (mean Cronbach's alpha = 0.85), and construct validi ty using factor analysis and the criterion group method. Conclusions. The BAVQ was found to be easy to complete and the scale may aid clinic al assessment of voices, not least because of the possible value of co gnitive therapy as a treatment approach.