Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T18:18:54.607Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sensitivity to noise in a community sample: I. Measurement of psychiatric disorder and personality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

S. A. Stansfeld ,
C. R. Clark ,
L. M. Jenkins  and
A. Tarnopolsky
S. A. Stansfeld*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
C. R. Clark
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
L. M. Jenkins
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
A. Tarnopolsky
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr S. A. Stansfeld, General Practice Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

A sample of 77 women of high and low noise sensitivity, living in areas of high and low exposure to aircraft noise drawn from the 1977 West London Survey, were interviewed in the community in 1980. Women of high, intermediate and low noise sensitivity in 1980 were compared for measures of psychiatric disorder, personality and reactivity to the other sensory stimuli. In addition, the noise sensitivity measures defining the three groups in 1980 were compared with further measures of noise sensitivity. High noise sensitive women exhibited significantly more psychiatric symptoms, higher neuroticism scores, and greater reactivity to other sensory stimuli than intermediate and low noise sensitive women.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , May 1985 , pp. 243 - 254
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, C. M. B. (1971). The Measurement of Attitude to Noise and Noises. National Physical Laboratory Acoustics Report, Ac 52.Google Scholar
Bennett, E. (1945). Some tests for the discrimination of neurotic from normal subjects. British Journal of Medical Psychology 20, 271–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bregman, H. L. & Pearson, R. G. (1972). Development of a Noise Annoyance Sensitivity Scale. NASA Report CR 1954: Washington D.C.Google Scholar
Broadbent, D. E. (1972). Individual differences in annoyance by noise. Sound 6, 56–61.Google Scholar
Carman, J. S. (1973). Imipramine in hyperacusic depression. American Journal of Psychiatry 130, 937.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eysenck, H. J. & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1975). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Hodder and Stoughton: London.Google Scholar
Finke, H. O., Guski, R., Martin, R., Rohrmann, B., Schümer, R. & Schümer-Kohrs, A. (1974). Effects of aircraft noise on man. In Proceedings of the Symposium on Noise in Transportation, Section III, paper 1. Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, Southampton.Google Scholar
Glass, D. & Singer, J. (1973). Behavioural effects and after effects of noise.In Proceedings of the International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem,Dubrovnik, pp. 409–416. US Environmental Protection Agency Publications 550/973–008: Washington D.C.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. P. (1972). The Detection of Psychiatric Illness by Questionnaire. Oxford University Press: London.Google Scholar
Grandjean, E., Graf, P., Cauber, A., Meier, H. P. & Muller, R. (1973). A survey of aircraft noise in Switzerland. In Proceedings of the International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem,Dubrovnik, pp. 645–659. US Environmental Protection Agency Publications 550/973–008: Washington D.C.Google Scholar
Griffiths, I. D. & Delauzun, F. R. (1977). Individual differences in sensitivity to traffic noise: an empirical study. Journal of Sound and Vibration 55 (1), 93–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Griffiths, I. D. & Langdon, F. J. (1968). Subjective response to road traffic noise. Journal of Sound and Vibration 8 (1), 16–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hare, E. H. & Shaw, G. K. (1965). Mental Health on a New Housing Estate. Institute of Psychiatry, Maudsley Monograph 12. Oxford University Press: London.Google Scholar
Hazard, W. R. (1971). Predictions of noise disturbance near large airports. Journal of Sound and Vibration 15 (4), 425–445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ising, H., Dienel, D., Günther, T. & Market, B. (1980). Health effects of traffic noise. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 47, 179–190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jonnson, E. (1964). Annoyance reactions to external environmental factors in different sociological groups. Acta Sociologica 7 (4), 229–263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leonard, S. & Borsky, P. N. (1973). A causal model for relating noise exposure, psychosocial variables and aircraft noise annoyance. In Proceedings of the International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem,Dubrovnik, pp. 691–705. US Environmental Protection Agency Publications 550/973–008: Washington D.C.Google Scholar
McKennell, A. C. (1963). Aircraft Noise Annoyance Around London (Heathrow) Airport. Central Office of Information S.S.337: London.Google Scholar
McLean, E. K. & Tarnopolsky, A. (1977). Noise, discomfort and mental health. Psychological Medicine 7, 19–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moreira, N. M. & Bryan, M. E. (1972). Noise annoyance susceptibility. Journal of Sound and Vibration 21 (4), 449–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nyström, S. & Lindegård, B. (1975). Depression: predisposing factors. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 51, 77–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1971). Second Survey of Aircraft Noise Annoyance Around London (Heathrow) Airport. HMSO: London.Google Scholar
Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L. & Lushene, R. E. (1970). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Consulting Psychologists Press: Palo Alto, California.Google Scholar
Stansfeld, S. A., Clark, C. R., Turpin, G., Jenkins, L. M. & Tarnopolsky, A. (1985). Sensitivity to noise in a community sample: II. Measurement of psychophysiological indices. Psychological Medicine 15, 255–263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarnopolsky, A. & Clark, C. R. (1985). Environmental noise and mental health. In Mental Health and the Environment (ed. Freeman, H. L.). Churchill Livingstone: London (in the press).Google Scholar
Tarnopolsky, A. & Morton-Williams, J. (1980). Aircraft Noise and Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders. Research Report. Social and Community Planning Research: London.Google Scholar
Tarnopolsky, A., Barker, S. M., Wiggins, R. D. & McLean, E. K. (1978). The effect of aircraft noise on the mental health of a community sample: a pilot study. Psychological Medicine 8, 219–233.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomas, J. R. & Jones, D. M. (1982). Individual differences in noise annoyance and the uncomfortable loudness level. Journal of Sound and Vibration 82 (2), 289–304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weinstein, N. D. (1978). Individual differences in reactions to noise: a longitudinal study in a college dormitory. Journal of Applied Psychology 63 (4), 458–466.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weinstein, N. D. (1980). Individual differences in critical tendencies and noise annoyance. Journal of Sound and Vibration 68 (2), 241–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wing, J. K., Cooper, J. E. & Sartorius, N. (1974). The Measurement and Classification of Psychiatric Symptoms. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.Google Scholar