A qualitative investigation of living with misophonia

As a relatively new condition, little is understood about the individual's experience of misophonia. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were carried out with people with self-reported misophonia. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and develop inductive themes. Three themes were developed, 'the experience of the response to the trigger (with three subthemes: emotional, physiological, and behavioural)', 'the perceived impact of misophonia (with three subthemes: the impact on self-esteem, relationships and day-to-day life)', and 'Influencing factors (with three subthemes: coping, feeling understood, and exacerbating factors)'. The results give an in-depth understanding of the experience of a misophonic response, the impact on the self and interactions with others, and how they coped. The results suggest targeting the avoidant coping strategies and raising awareness of available treatment and support groups may be helpful for managing misophonia and reducing the negative impact of this condition.