Abstract

What is the reality of the misophonic experience in the general population?

This is a study on misophonia in a large sample, representative of the UK general population.

The study utilises a multidimensional psychometric tool, the S-Five, to study the intensity of the triggering misophonic sounds in everyday activities, the emotions/feelings related to them, and the norms of the key components of the misophonic experience: internalising and externalising appraisals, perceived threat and avoidance behaviours, outbursts, and the impact on functioning.

Based on the S-Five scores and a semi-structured interview delivered by clinicians who specialise in misophonia, the estimated prevalence of people for whom symptoms of misophonia cause a significant burden in their life in the UK was estimated to be 18%.

The psychometric properties of the S-Five in the UK general population were also evaluated and differences across gender and age were explored.

Our results show that the five-factor structure is reproduced, and that the S-Five is a reliable and valid scale for the measurement of the severity of the misophonic experience in the general UK population.

Citations

Vitoratou, S., PhD, Hayes, C., Uglik-Marucha, E., Pearson, O., Graham, T., & Gregory, J. (2022, April 4). Misophonia in the UK: norms of the selective sound sensitivity five factor model (S-Five) for misophonia and prevalence of the disorder using a large sample representative of the UK population. PsyArXiv, 4 Apr. 2022.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/jwpeq

URI: https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/orka/title/misophonia-in-the-uk-norms-of-the-selective-sound-sensitivity-five-factor-model-s-five-for-misophonia-and-prevalence-of-the-disorder-using-a-large-sample-representative-of-the-uk-population/