Misophonia severity in university students: associations with negative emotionality, motor impulsivity, and checking

Abstract Background Misophonia is characterized by strong negative emotional and behavioral reactions to specific everyday sounds and is associated with significant functional impairment. Previous studies have primarily focused on associations between misophonia and negative affect (e.g., depression, anxiety, and stress), whereas less is known about how misophonia severity relates to impulsivity and specific obsessive–compulsive symptom dimensions in non-clinical populations. Objective The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of Misophonia Questionnaire (MQ) cut-off–defined elevated misophonia symptoms among university students, describe emotional and behavioral responses to trigger sounds, and examine whether motor impulsivity and checking are involved in the associations between depression, anxiety, stress symptoms, and misophonia severity. Methods A total of 562 university students aged 18–30 years participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants completed the MQ, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale–Short Form (BIS-11-SF), and Maudsley Obsessional–Compulsive Inventory (MOCI). Model-based path analyses were conducted to examine direct and indirect associations between negative affect symptoms and misophonia severity through motor impulsivity and checking. Results Sixteen point 4% of participants met the MQ cut-off for elevated misophonia symptoms. Misophonia severity showed positive associations with depression, anxiety, stress symptoms, motor impulsivity, and checking. Path analyses indicated that anxiety and stress symptoms were directly associated with misophonia severity, while depressive symptoms were associated only indirectly. Significant indirect associations were observed through motor impulsivity and checking, although the indirect pathway via checking was not significant for anxiety. Conclusions Misophonia severity is associated not only with negative affect but also with impulsivity- and compulsivity-related dimensions. These findings highlight the relevance of motor impulsivity and checking as behavioral dimensions linked to misophonia severity and underscore the importance of considering multidimensional psychopathological features when assessing misophonia in non-clinical populations.