Misophonia, Autistic Traits, and Obsessive‐Compulsive Symptoms in Migraine: A Controlled Comparative Study
Fatma Subaşı Turgut, Masum Öztürk, Rojan İpek, Edip GültekinABSTRACT
Objective
This study examined misophonia severity and triggers in adolescents with migraine versus controls and their associations with autistic traits and obsessive‐compulsive symptoms.
Methods
This cross‐sectional case–control study included 80 adolescents aged 15–18 years (40 with migraine; 40 age‐ and sex‐matched controls). Participants completed the Amsterdam Misophonia Scale–Revised (AMISOS‐R) and the Obsessive‐Compulsive Inventory–Child Version (OCI‐CV); parents completed the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ‐TR).
Results
Adolescents with migraine had higher AMISOS‐R scores than controls (20.70 ± 8.59 vs. 13.65 ± 8.69, p < 0.001) and a higher prevalence of misophonia (85.0% vs. 62.5%, p = 0.022). Repetitive clicking and ambient background sounds were more frequently reported as triggers in the migraine group ( p = 0.003 and p = 0.001, respectively). ASSQ total scores were higher in migraine ( p = 0.022), whereas OCI‐CV total scores did not differ, despite higher doubting/checking scores ( p = 0.024). Within the migraine group, headache intensity correlated with misophonia severity ( r = 0.329, p = 0.038). In regression analysis, migraine status, female sex, and ASSQ scores independently predicted misophonia severity (adjusted R 2 = 0.362).
Conclusion
Misophonia was more prevalent and severe in adolescents with migraine and was associated with headache severity and autistic traits. These findings suggest that misophonia may be a sensory feature of adolescent migraine and highlight the need for longitudinal studies to elucidate the common sensory processing pathways linking migraine and misophonia.