Misophonia: Prevalence, impact and co-morbidity among Mysore University students in India - A survey

Abstract

Misophonia is a sound tolerance disorder in which certain sounds trigger an intensely emotional or physiological response caused by an increased autonomic nervous system reaction to the triggers. Misophonia is a relatively new condition, and the assessment and management of this condition are not known yet. The epidemiological data of misophonia in the Indian scenario is unknown, without which better planning evaluation and management is not possible. Hence, our study aims to determine the prevalence of misophonia and its impact and co-morbidity among Mysore university students in India. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 172 students of Mysore University between the age ranges of 18 to 30 years through an online survey mode. The Amsterdam Misophonia Questionnaire (A-MISO-S) and Misophonia Assessment Questionnaire (MAQ) have been used to find the prevalence and severity of misophonia. Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS 25.0 software. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test to determine the variables' association. The prevalence of misophonia among Mysore university students has been documented. Almost 48.27% of participants reported misophonia symptoms, and 23.28% reported clinically significant misophonia. The result showed that misophonia could occur in isolation or with a co-morbid condition such as tinnitus and hyperacusis. Statistical analysis showed no association between gender and the occurrence of misophonia. Misophonia is a prevalent neurophysiological condition with a significant impact on the quality of life of the sufferers. This is the first study of this kind in an Indian scenario and can be a guiding tool for researchers to know about the prevalence of misophonia, its impact, and co-morbidity among the sufferers.