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The pediatric misophonia and hyperacusis questionnaire (PMHQ): a screening tool inspired by the MisoQuest and
Tana B Carson1, Angela M Medina2, Yuxi Qiu3
1Department of Occupational Therapy, Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
Insights
The Paediatric Misophonia and Hyperacusis Questionnaire (PMHQ-4) is a new 14-item tool for early identification of sound tolerance conditions in children. This validated questionnaire helps detect misophonia and hyperacusis in children aged 6-17 years.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Decreased Sound Tolerance (DST) conditions like misophonia and hyperacusis often manifest in childhood.
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for managing these conditions in pediatric populations.
- Existing screening tools may not adequately address the nuances of DST in children, particularly those with autism spectrum disorder.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the Paediatric Misophonia and Hyperacusis Questionnaire (PMHQ), a parent-report screening tool for DST conditions.
- To enable early identification of misophonia and hyperacusis in children aged 6-17 years, including those with autism.
- To provide a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing pediatric sound tolerance issues.
Main Methods:
- A multi-study approach involving content development with audiology experts and parents of children with DST.
- Content refinement based on feedback from parents of children with autism to enhance relevance.
- Psychometric analysis of the 14-item PMHQ-4, including item characteristics and test-level properties, using data from 200 parents.
Main Results:
- The Paediatric Misophonia and Hyperacusis Questionnaire-4 (PMHQ-4) demonstrated adequate psychometric properties at both item and test levels.
- Item discrimination, difficulty, and information functions were evaluated.
- A definitive version of the PMHQ-4 with recommended subscale cut-off scores was established.
Conclusions:
- The PMHQ-4 is a validated 14-item screening tool for misophonia and hyperacusis in children aged 6-17 years.
- The questionnaire comprises 8 misophonia and 6 hyperacusis items, offering a dual-domain assessment.
- Further research is recommended to evaluate the PMHQ-4 in clinical samples of children with DST.
Objective:
Decreased Sound Tolerance (DST) conditions often emerge in childhood, making early identification and treatment important. This paper details the development and validation of the Paediatric Misophonia and Hyperacusis Questionnaire (PMHQ), a dual DST parent-report screening tool intended to provide early identification of misophonia and hyperacusis among children with and without autism age 6-17 years.
Study Designs And Samples:
Three studies were completed including (1) content development with input from audiology experts (n = 9) and parents of children with DST conditions (n = 20); (2) content revision to improve relevance to autism with input from parents of children with autism (n = 15); and (3) psychometric analysis of item characteristics of the PMHQ based on responses from parents of children age 6-17 years (n = 200).
Results:
The PMHQ-4 demonstrates adequate psychometric properties at the item level (item discrimination, difficulty, item information function) and at the test level (test information function). A definitive version of the PMHQ with recommended cut-off scores for each subscale is provided.
Conclusions:
The resulting PMHQ-4 is a 14-item screening tool comprised of 8 misophonia and 6 hyperacusis items. The PMHQ-4 can provide a valid measure of misophonia and hyperacusis for children age 6-17 years. Further evaluation is warranted in clinical DST samples.
