Objective: This study aims to compare misophonia levels and autistic
traits between parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD) and parents of typically developing children.
Methods: Parents of children diagnosed with ASD who presented
to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic (n=56) and
parents of typically developing children (n=56) were included in the
study. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was administered to
the children with ASD. All participating parents completed the Autism
Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the Amsterdam Misophonia Scale–
Revised (AMISOS-R).
Results: The rate of reporting throat sounds as a misophonic trigger
was higher among parents of children with ASD (p=0.004). Weak
but significant positive correlations were found across all participants
between the AMISOS-R total score and the AQ total score, the attention
switching subscale score, and the communication subscale score
(r=0.275, p=0.003; r=0.266, p=0.005; r=0.35, p<0.001, respectively).
Among parents of children with ASD, the AMISOS-R total score was
positively correlated with items 3, 5, and 9 of the CARS (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Our findings support potential associations between
misophonia and ASD, and suggest that misophonia in parents may be
related to certain characteristics in the child, such as sensory processing
and emotional regulation.
Keywords: Amsterdam Misophonia Scale, autism spectrum disorder,
misophonia, sensory processing