Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Time period

1946-2021

Studies outside these dates

Language

English (recognized language of international scientific debate)

Non-English

Type of article

Original research, publishedin a peer review journal. Qualitative or quantitative studies (Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), uncontrolled open trials that involved a comparison between at least two groups or a pre-post study design and cross-sectional studies); commentaries, letter, editorial

Articles that were not peer reviewed, only abstract avalaible

Ethics clearance

Studies with approved ethics notification

Studies without approved ethics notification

Study focus

Todescribe and tease out the relationships between non-clinical voice hearers, AVHs, shame and guilt.

Studies that don't consider the relationship between AVHs, shame and guilt in non clinical samples

Population and sample

Adults, adolescents or childs that were not in contact with mental healthcare services because of hearing voices or they were at a first visit for this problem. We also considered studies in which healthy voice-hearers constituted a control group in comparison with psychiatric patients.

All the other chronic diseases or psychiatric conditions

Types of study design

We included all Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), uncontrolled open trials that involved a comparison between at least two groups or a pre-post study design and cross-sectional studies. Since we would like to have examined all available literature, we chose to include both controlled and uncontrolled studies, rather than restricting our analysis to RCTs. Case studies, case series studies and qualitative studies were also included.

All the other kinds of study design

Types of interventions

Face-to-face clinician-delivered treatment, computer-delivered treatments, and cognitive tasks. These latter were included both if they were guided by a clinician (i.e., he/she supported person during the intervention or he/she read the instructions to the task) and when the participants were invited to fill out a questionnaire on a Web Site.

All the other kinds of interventions

Types of comparisons and outcomes

Self-report, clinician or proxy administered psychometric instruments that evaluated Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (AVHs) or an interview about this issue and at least one measure about shame and/or guilt. Diagnostic status was also considered to exclude all studies about only psychiatric patients. We also consider outcomes reported qualitatively.

Diagnostic status was also considered to exclude all studies about only psychiatric patients.