In one sentence
In a large UK birth cohort, children whose parents reported unusual sound sensitivity at age 11 were more likely to show elevated anxiety-related emotional difficulties at ages 13 and 16, even after accounting for earlier emotional problems and neurodevelopmental traits.
What the researchers did
Anxiety often rises in early and mid-adolescence, especially around the transition to secondary school. Clinicians want early markers that could help families and schools offer support sooner. Hyperacusis — an unusually aversive reaction to everyday sound — has been linked to anxiety in other studies, but less is known about whether it predicts anxiety over time.
Researchers used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), following 6,621 children. At age 11, parents answered one question about whether their child had unusual noise sensitivity. Anxiety and broader emotional difficulties were tracked using the emotional subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at ages 13 and 16, and through longer childhood trajectories from ages 4–16. The analysis adjusted for pre-existing emotional problems, autism traits, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. Exploratory analyses also looked at outcomes at age 25.
What they found
Hyperacusis at age 11 significantly predicted higher emotional difficulty scores at ages 13 and 16. The association at age 13 remained after adjusting for earlier emotional problems, autism traits, and other neurodevelopmental characteristics. At age 16, a similar pattern remained, though the effect was less pronounced once earlier anxiety was taken into account.
When children were grouped into four childhood emotional trajectories, hyperacusis predicted persistent high anxiety and high-then-decreasing anxiety more reliably than trajectories where anxiety started low and later increased. Hyperacusis was most strongly linked to items about fear, worry, and nervousness.
At age 25, hyperacusis still predicted higher emotional problem scores, but it did not predict clinical diagnoses of generalised anxiety disorder, major depression, or suicidal self-harm in exploratory analyses.
What this means for families and therapists
For parents, a child who is unusually distressed by everyday sounds — vacuum cleaners, traffic, loud voices, school hallways — may benefit from closer attention to emotional wellbeing around the move to secondary school. Sound sensitivity alone is not a diagnosis, but it may be a useful early flag.
For therapists, educators, and school teams, a simple question about noise sensitivity could complement routine emotional screening around age 11. Practical accommodations such as quiet spaces, warning before loud activities, or noise-reducing headphones may reduce stress while anxiety support is considered.
This is not a reason to label a child as “anxious” based on sensory differences alone. It is a reminder that sensory and emotional needs often travel together, especially in neurodivergent young people.
Limitations and what we don't know yet
Hyperacusis was measured with a single parent-reported question, which may miss nuance or child perspective. The study is observational, so it shows association over time, not proof that sound sensitivity causes anxiety.
Participants came from one UK region, so results may not apply everywhere. The link weakened somewhat by age 16 and did not extend to adult clinical diagnoses, suggesting the strongest practical value may be for early adolescent monitoring rather than long-term prediction.
This is a simplified summary of Sensory hyperacusis as a predictor of anxiety in adolescence by Tseliou F, Collishaw S, Price A, Sumner P, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines (2025).
Source license: CC-BY.
This is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before making treatment decisions.