Examining the correlation between misophonia symptoms and autistic traits in general population

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of the present study was to investigation the relationship between misophonia symptoms and autistic traits in adults. In accordance with this investigation, the purpose of the present study was to determine whether misophonia is a symptom of autism.

Method: The study included 445 participants without psychiatric disorders or hearing impairments. Self-report questionnaires were utilized to evaluate the severity of misophonia symptoms and autistic traits. On the basis of the results of the self-report questionnaires, statistical analyses were conducted.

Results: Misophonia scores were found to be higher in females than in males but did not correlate with age, smoking, or alcohol consumption. Examining the autistic characteristics reveals that gender, age, and smoking have no effect on the total autism scores. Examining the association between the degree of misophonia and autistic traits reveals that they have a considerable impact on one another.

Discussion: Our findings indicate that there is a correlation between the severity of misophonia and autistic traits. However, our limitations and the fact that some of our results differ from those of previous research indicate that additional research is necessary in this area.

Keywords:

• misophonia
• autistic traits
• smoking
• drinking
• gender

Acknowledgements

We thank the participants, children with autism, and their advocates. Funding was not received for the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report that there were no potential conflicts of interest.