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 sounds triggering misophonia in everyday activities, the intensity of emotions/feelings related to them, and the norms of 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 specialising 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.

Participants constituted a representative sample of the UK general population, recruited via Prolific.co, via an allocation algorithm to stratify sample size across sex, age, and ethnicity using census data from the UK. Consent to the study, after reading the participant information sheet, was provided using this online platform. To be eligible to take part in the study, participants had to be aged 18 years or older, fluent in English, and have an absence of diagnosed severe learning or intellectual disability.