Misophonia, a neurobehavioral syndrome, reduces tolerance to specific stimuli and impacts various domains of life. It is also strongly correlated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of misophonia among medical students at King Saud University (KSU), Saudi Arabia, identify related sociodemographic factors, and assess misophonia association with OCD and depression. This cross-sectional study included 371 participants. The study tool was distributed electronically between November 19 and December 07, 2023. It consisted of 4 sections: a questionnaire developed by the research team, the Amsterdam Misophonia Scale (A-MISO-S), the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The results indicated that 42.32% of the participants had previously experienced misophonia, with symptoms developing suddenly in 28.66%. The majority of participants had subclinical misophonia (71.16%) and minimal depression (37.47%), with a significant proportion experiencing mild-to-severe misophonia (28.84%) and varying degrees of depression (33.15%). Approximately 31.00% of the students exhibited likely OCD. The PHQ-9 and A-MISO-S scores showed weak positive correlations, whereas the OCI-R and A-MISO-S scores showed a moderate positive correlation. Furthermore, a moderate positive correlation was observed between the OCI-R and PHQ-9 scores. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that sex, family history of misophonia, depression severity, and OCD were significantly associated with clinical misophonia. This study underscores the significance of recognizing misophonia among medical students and its associated factors, such as OCD and depression. Further multicenter studies using more rigorous research methodologies are warranted.

Depression and anxiety are prevalent psychiatric illnesses worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of these illnesses and their associated sociodemographic factors among medical students at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by comparing first- and non-first-generation students. This cross-sectional study included 367 participants. The study tool, distributed in December 2023, consisted of a questionnaire developed by the research team to assess sociodemographic factors, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item scale (GAD-7). Among the participants, 33.5% had a first-degree relative who attended medical school. The mean GAD-7 score was 8.30 for first-generation students and 7.48 for non-first-generation students, suggesting a trend toward higher anxiety in first-generation students, although the differences between the 2 groups were not statistically significant (P = .170). The mean PHQ-9 score was 9.54 for first-generation and 8.10 for non-first-generation students (P = .042). Women had significantly higher mean scores than men on both the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 (P=<.001). First- and third-year students had the highest mean scores on both the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 (P < .001). A statistically significant (P < .001) association was observed between anxiety and depression. Future research should focus on identifying, developing, and examining interventions that target at-risk groups of medical students. Multicenter studies with more rigorous research methodologies are warranted to validate these results.