Evidence of cross-cultural consistency in a multidimensional model for the severity of misophonia and trigger burden: psychometric conclusions emerging from the Mandarin version of the Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome Scale (S-Five).

Abstract

This study investigates whether the S-Five multidimensional model for the misophonic experience identified in samples of English-speaking individuals, were valid in participants from an Asian population. The five dimensions (internalising appraisals, externalising appraisals, perceived threat and avoidance behaviour, outbursts, and impact on functioning) were replicated in the responses of 256 Chinese individuals, indicating the cross-cultural uniformity of the experience of misophonia as captured by the S-Five. That is, current results point to the stability of the manifestation of misophonia across cultures, seen here for the first time in the literature. By design, the S-Five items were developed to reflect sound sensitivities in a manner that is not specific or matching to individuals of a certain age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status, and educational level. Testimonial to this fact is not only the replication of the five factors, but also the replication of the evidence towards satisfactory psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the scale. The S-Five is a psychometrically robust tool to be used to Mandarin speaking samples.