New Impact Questionnaires Offer Clinically Reliable Way to Measure How Misophonia, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis Affect Daily Life

London, UK – A new study published in PLOS ONE introduces and validates a package of self-report tools designed to assess the impact—not the symptoms—of misophonia, tinnitus, and hyperacusis on individuals’ lives. The Misophonia Impact Questionnaire (MIQ), Tinnitus Impact Questionnaire (TIQ), and Hyperacusis Impact Questionnaire (HIQ) each showed strong psychometric performance in a large non-clinical sample, confirming their utility in both clinical and research contexts.

Developed by Dr. Hashir Aazh and tested by Dr. Fatma Betul Kula from the Hashir International Institute and University of Surrey, these brief questionnaires focus on how much each condition interferes with a person’s functioning and well-being—recognising that impact is a separate construct from symptom severity.

“It’s possible to have severe symptoms that barely affect your life—or mild ones that are profoundly disabling,” said Dr. Aazh. “That’s why measuring impact matters, especially when evaluating the effectiveness of psychological or audiological interventions.”

Key Findings from the Study:

• All three tools demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α ≥ 0.91) and robust one-factor structures.
• Test-retest reliability was good to excellent, confirming stability over time.
• Minimum detectable change (MDC) values were established:
  ≥8 points for the MIQ, ≥4 for the TIQ, and ≥7 for the HIQ—providing thresholds to interpret real clinical change.

Unlike symptom severity, which may be influenced by physiological responses (e.g., loudness perception or brain activation), the impact of sound sensitivity conditions often depends on personal, social, and psychological factors such as coping style, support systems, and emotional distress.

This distinction is particularly relevant in the treatment of tinnitus, misophonia, and hyperacusis—conditions for which no definitive cure exists. The primary goal of therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), sound retraining, and audiological counselling is to reduce the impact of these conditions on daily life, not necessarily to eliminate the symptoms themselves.

“Tools like the MIQ, TIQ, and HIQ are essential for evaluating real-world treatment outcomes,” said Dr. Kula. “They are short, accessible, and focused on what truly matters to patients: quality of life.”

The researchers note that future longitudinal studies using these tools will be vital in establishing minimally important change (MIC) and further enhancing their role in clinical trials.

Access the Full Study:
PLOS ONE, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324726
PMID: 40471939 | PMCID: PMC12140247