Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Otology

Volume

20

Issue

2

Publisher

Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd

Publication Date

3-10-2025

Journal Article Version

Version of Record

First Page

82

Last Page

92

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Abstract

Despite the increasing investigation into misophonia, its classification remains debated due to symptom overlap with audiological and psychological conditions, as well as methodological limitations in existing studies. In the present study, we compared a clinical sample of adults seeking treatment for misophonia with a non-treatment-seeking sample of age- and gender-matched healthy controls. In these two samples, we examined the psychological and audiological features of misophonia by assessing key psychological processes (anger, disgust, OCD symptoms, anxiety, depression, stress, wellbeing, and psychological inflexibility) and audiological features (hearing, hyperacusis, and tinnitus). We found that individuals with misophonia exhibit higher levels of psychological inflexibility and stress compared to healthy controls. Audiological comparisons indicated that hyperacusis is more prevalent in the misophonia group, with significantly more impairment in social and occupational functioning. There were no differences between groups on an objective assessment of hearing, although self-report measures indicated that individuals with misophonia may have greater difficulty with auditory processing. These findings suggest that misophonia is a complex disorder marked by transdiagnostic psychological characteristics and sound sensitivities. Our results underscore the need for interdisciplinary assessment and treatment approaches that incorporate psychosocial and audiological perspectives.

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS