The prevalence of misophonia in a representative population-based survey in Germany.
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| Title: | The prevalence of misophonia in a representative population-based survey in Germany. |
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| Authors: | Pfeiffer, Elisa (AUTHOR), Allroggen, Marc (AUTHOR), Sachser, Cedric (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology. Jan2025, Vol. 60 Issue 1, p257-264. 8p. |
| Subjects: | Misophonia, Medical sciences, Demographic surveys, Psychological distress, Symptoms |
| Abstract: | Purpose: Misophonia is a new disorder, currently defined as significant emotional and physiological distress when exposed to certain sounds. Although there is a growing body of literature on the characteristics of the disorder, the prevalence in the general population is still relatively unknown. This study therefore aims at determining the prevalence and symptom severity of misophonia in a large and representative general population sample in Germany. Methods: To examine the prevalence of misophonic sounds, misophonic reactions and misophonia severity, a cross-sectional population representative survey in Germany has been conducted. Participants (N = 2.522) were questioned retrospectively about misophonic symptoms using the Amsterdam Misophonie Scale – Revised (AMISOS-R). Results: Overall 33.3% reported to be sensitive to at least one specific misophonic sound. Within the total sample, subthreshold symptoms were reported by 21.3%, mild symptoms were reported by 9.9%, moderate to severe symptoms were reported by 2.1%, and severe to extreme symptoms were reported in 0.1% of participants. Conclusion: Based on the diverging presentations and prevalence rates of misophonic sounds, reactions and symptoms according to the severity, it seems worthwhile to conceptualize misophonia as a rather continuous spectrum disorder (subthreshold, mild, moderate to severe), still taking into account that an additional categorical diagnostic approach might be necessary to derive a diagnosis in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Purpose: Misophonia is a new disorder, currently defined as significant emotional and physiological distress when exposed to certain sounds. Although there is a growing body of literature on the characteristics of the disorder, the prevalence in the general population is still relatively unknown. This study therefore aims at determining the prevalence and symptom severity of misophonia in a large and representative general population sample in Germany. Methods: To examine the prevalence of misophonic sounds, misophonic reactions and misophonia severity, a cross-sectional population representative survey in Germany has been conducted. Participants (N = 2.522) were questioned retrospectively about misophonic symptoms using the Amsterdam Misophonie Scale – Revised (AMISOS-R). Results: Overall 33.3% reported to be sensitive to at least one specific misophonic sound. Within the total sample, subthreshold symptoms were reported by 21.3%, mild symptoms were reported by 9.9%, moderate to severe symptoms were reported by 2.1%, and severe to extreme symptoms were reported in 0.1% of participants. Conclusion: Based on the diverging presentations and prevalence rates of misophonic sounds, reactions and symptoms according to the severity, it seems worthwhile to conceptualize misophonia as a rather continuous spectrum disorder (subthreshold, mild, moderate to severe), still taking into account that an additional categorical diagnostic approach might be necessary to derive a diagnosis in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 09337954 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00127-024-02707-0 |
