Sensory processing sensitivity and its relation to sensation seeking

Studies report a negative impact of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) on health outcomes, but evidence from patient-caregiver dyads is scarce. This study aimed to simultaneously examine the independent and interdependent impact of SPS on quality of life (QoL) among cancer patients and their family caregivers. In this two-stage random sampling cross-sectional study, we conducted a dyadic analysis of data collected from cancer patients and their family caregivers in southwest China. QoL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument, and SPS was evaluated using the 10-item Chinese Highly Sensitive Child Scale (CHSC). The actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was used to examine whether SPS of patients and caregivers was associated with their own and their partner's QoL. Of the 733 dyads included in the analysis, patients' SPS and QoL were significantly correlated with their caregivers' SPS and QoL. The APIM identified significant actor effects, including a negative association between SPS and physical, psychological, social, and environmental QoL in both patients and caregivers. Additionally, caregivers' SPS was negatively associated with patients' psychological (β=-0.12, p<0.01), social (β=-0.09, p<0.05), and environmental (β=-0.1, p<0.01) QoL. The findings emphasize the need for early identification and targeted interventions to support highly sensitive individuals within the cancer care setting. Future research should explore the effectiveness of such interventions in enhancing QoL outcomes.

Mental health professionals, like professionals in other fields, experience a high risk of burnout. Situational as well as individual factors can increase this risk. The current study explored possible mediators of the relationships between the personality trait of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) and the risk of poor professional quality of life and negative affectivity in a group of 95 clinical or counselling psychologists. Participants completed self-report measures of SPS, three proposed mediators (perceived negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, compassion satisfaction, and self-compassion) and five different outcome variables (burnout, secondary traumatic stress, stress, anxiety, and depression). Subscale scores on the measures of SPS were used to compute composite scores reflecting the strength of positive (SPS+) and negative (SPS-) trait clusters. The three proposed mediators were entered into each mediation model in parallel to allow us to tease apart the unique roles they played in explaining links between these two facets of SPS and our outcome variables. Reporting higher levels of SPS- traits predicted greater perceived pandemic burden and lower levels of self-compassion and compassion satisfaction. Links between SPS- traits and increased risk of all five negative outcomes were fully or partially mediated by at least two of the mediators. In contrast, high scores on the SPS+ trait cluster predicted higher levels of compassion satisfaction which predicted lower levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. This study identified several important risk and protective factors for clinical and counselling psychologists with SPS. By exploring the nature of the association between SPS and professional quality of life and mental health, the findings may inform proactive measures to support those with SPS who work in this vital area.

Do burn injuries during infancy affect pain and sensory sensitivity in later childhood?

Ever since the concept of Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) was introduced, extensive research has solidified its theoretical and empirical foundations. SPS is characterized by enhanced awareness, deeper information processing, and increased emotional and physiological reactivity (Acevedo, 2020). Moreover, research has found that a significant portion of 20-30% of the population exhibits high SPS (Greven et al., 2018). The prevalence of SPS becomes particularly concerning for increasing the likelihood of individuals developing depression. Studies indicate that individuals with high SPS are more susceptible to depressive symptoms under stress (Wu et al., 2020). High levels of sensory processing sensitivity might be related to the appearance of depression. This raises critical questions about current therapeutic practices: Do therapists consider SPS when diagnosing depression? Should treatment protocols differ for patients with both depression and high SPS compared to those without SPS? This literature review aimed to explore the relationship between SPS and depression and how therapists might leverage this understanding to refine diagnostic and treatment methods for individuals with high SPS. To examine potential ways to ensure that SPS is appropriately considered in depression diagnoses, this review also compared and contrasted diagnostic methods for individuals with high SPS and those with depression. Furthermore, the review explored possible alternative treatments that could be used or developed specifically for individuals with high SPS and depression.

In modern society, pregnant women experience various physical and emotional changes and discomforts. Therefore, this study explores the necessity and significance of sensory-centered environmental design, which focuses on ‘sensory sensitivity’ to promote emotional stability in pregnant women, moving beyond existing support-centered policies. The study examined the relationship between the characteristics of pregnant women and sensory processing sensitivity, as well as the discomforts arising in their daily lives from multiple perspectives. Furthermore, through case analysis, it confirmed that sensory-stable environments practically contribute to improving quality of life and proposed the direction of social inclusive design through experience design that mitigates overstimulation. Through this, the concept of sensory consideration design is defined as ‘sensory rights design’ and proposed as a new paradigm at the level of public services and policy design. This study emphasizes that a design approach considering sensory sensitivity plays a pivotal role in social inclusion, rights protection, and the qualitative transformation of public services.

Childhood anxiety disorders are prevalent and impair children's socioemotional functioning. Abnormalities in sensory processing may play a role in the presentation of anxiety disorders. One important domain of sensory processing is sensory sensitivity, referring to heightened or diminished responses to sensory stimuli. While anxiety and sensory sensitivity frequently co-occur, research thus far has primarily focused on associations among autistic children, with limited investigation in anxious children. This study examined the associations between sensory sensitivity and anxiety symptom severity, externalizing problems, emotion dysregulation, and quality of peer and family relationships in children with elevated anxiety symptoms without neurodevelopmental disorders. Ninety-four children aged 8 to 17 years (mean age=12.41, SD=2.55y) with elevated anxiety symptoms but without neurodevelopmental disorders completed self-report assessments of sensory sensitivity, anxiety symptom severity, externalizing behaviors, emotion dysregulation, and quality of peer and family relationships. Participants' parents completed a parent-report assessment of children's externalizing behaviors. Sensory sensitivity and anxiety symptom severity were not statistically significantly associated. Controlling for anxiety symptom severity and relevant sociodemographic covariates, sensory sensitivity explained a statistically significant amount of variance in youth-reported (but not parent-reported) externalizing symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and quality of family but not peer relationships. Anxious youth with sensory sensitivity may experience externalizing symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and difficulties with family relationships. Study limitations included a racially/ethnically homogeneous sample and a cross-sectional design. Further research is necessary to better understand the causal impact of sensory sensitivity on behavioral difficulties and quality of life, identify potential protective factors, and test intervention strategies for this population.

Chapter Two - Mental health and sensory processing sensitivity: Depression and burnout

Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) describes individual differences in how strongly people respond to sensory and emotional information in their environment. Individuals high in SPS are often referred to as Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) and tend to be more susceptible to both supportive and unsupportive environments. SPS is associated with greater depth of processing, emotional reactivity, sensitivity to subtle stimuli, and susceptibility to overstimulation. To examine how this trait relates to leadership, this study explored the experiences of seven HSPs through qualitative semi-structured interviews and interpreted the data with reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were constructed: (1) SPS as a leadership resource, (2) navigating misaligned leadership norms, and (3) experience, understanding, and regulating SPS in leadership. The findings provide insights into how HSPs perceive and manage sensitivity in leadership roles and suggest that SPS may function as a leadership resource when supported by favorable environmental conditions, self-acceptance, and effective coping strategies. This research contributes to the emerging literature on SPS in leadership and highlights the need for greater awareness and organizational support for highly sensitive leaders.

Studies proved that people vary greatly in their sensitivity to the environment, and some are more sensitive than others. Aron et al. proposed the Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) model to explain individual differences in sensitivity from the perspective of environmental information processing depth, which has recently been incorporated within a meta-framework of Environmental Sensitivity. In the field of children development research, children’s SPS is gradually understood as an important marker of children’s environmental sensitivity, and about 30% of children have a high-sensitive trait characterized by deeper processing of environmental information, increased emotional and physiological reactivity, greater awareness of environmental subtleties, and ease to be overstimulated. Recently, SPS and the highly sensitive child have gained great popularity in public and academia. This article reviews the theoretical framework and measurements of SPS of children, summarizing the relationship between SPS and children’s development outcomes and the moderating role SPS plays in children’s development. Future research needs to focus on the prevention and intervention of negative effects related to SPS and harness its positive potential to promote children’s well-being.

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a personality trait that makes certain individuals excessively sensitive to stimuli. People carrying this trait are defined as Highly Sensitive People (HSP). The SPS trait is notably prevalent among nursing students and nurse staff. Although there are HSP diagnostic tools, there is little information about early detection. Therefore, the aim of this work was to develop a prediction model to identify HSP and provide an individualized nursing assessment. A total of 672 nursing students completed all the evaluations. In addition to the HSP diagnosis, emotional intelligence, communication skills, and conflict styles were evaluated. An interpretable machine learning model was trained to predict the SPS trait. We observed a 33% prevalence of HSP, which was higher in women and people with previous health training. HSP were characterized by greater emotional repair (p = 0.033), empathy (p = 0.030), respect (p = 0.038), and global communication skills (p = 0.036). Overall, sex and emotional intelligence dimensions are important to detect this trait, although personal characteristics should be considered. The present individualized prediction model could help to predict the presence of the SPS trait in nursing students, which may be useful in conducting intervention strategies to avoid the negative consequences and reinforce the positive ones of this trait.

Chapter 5 - Etiology of sensory processing sensitivity: Neurobiology, genes, and evolution

This study aimed to assess the frequency of autistic traits in patients with migraine and to examine the effect of autistic traits on migraine-related disability, as well as anxiety and depressive symptoms, through the mediating factors of anxiety sensitivity and sensory sensitivity. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and migraine are two distinct clinical conditions marked by impaired sensory processing. Both conditions induce widespread alterations in the brain and exhibit symptoms associated with sensory sensitivity. Research examining the relationship between migraine and autistic traits is sparse. Moreover, the occurrence of autistic traits in patients with migraine and their effect on headache-related disability and psychiatric comorbidities has not been thoroughly investigated. This cross-sectional study included 169 patients with migraine and 112 healthy controls. Data collection for the study was conducted from November 2022 to May 2023. The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Anxiety Sensitivity Index, and Dunn Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile were given to participants. The Headache Impact Test-6 and the Visual Analogue Scale were used to evaluate quality of life and headache intensity for patients with migraine. Analyses examined how autism affects migraine-related disability, anxiety, and depressive symptoms through anxiety and sensory sensitivity. While 35% of patients with migraine were found to have autistic traits (AQ ≥ 23), this rate was found to be 17% in healthy controls. In the migraine group, autistic traits were positively correlated with sensory sensitivity, anxiety sensitivity, and depressive symptoms. Although autistic traits did not have a direct effect on headache-related disability and anxiety symptoms, indirect effects through anxiety sensitivity and sensory sensitivity were found to be significant (total indirect effect = 0.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.08, 0.25], total indirect effect = 0.24, 95% CI = [0.14, 0.33]). In addition, autistic traits had a direct effect on depressive symptoms. Indirect effects through anxiety sensitivity and sensory sensitivity were also significant (total indirect effect = 0.14, 95% CI = [0.08, 0.21]). This study shows that autistic traits are more frequent among patients with migraine and that these traits exhibit indirect effects on headache-related disability and psychiatric comorbidities. Recognizing autistic traits in patients with migraine may be crucial for formulating methods to mitigate comorbidities and enhance the quality of life in this population. Autism and migraine are two different conditions that affect the brain and sensory traits. We do not know much about how these two conditions affect each other, so we compared autism traits in people with migraine and healthy controls. We found that people with migraine are more likely to have autism traits, which can make migraine disability, anxiety, and depression worse; understanding and treating these traits could improve life quality for migraine patients.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between sensory profile and academic achievement in university students. This cross sectional study was conducted with 252 university students (80 female and 172 male). The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile Questionnaire was used to assess the sensory processing characteristics of students. The grade point average used as a measure of academic achievement of students. All statistical analyses were conducted using the SPSS software (version 22.0). The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between sensory profile and grade point average of students. A significant negative correlation was found between the grade point average and low registration (r=-0.358), sensory sensitivity (r=-0.244), and sensory avoiding (r=-0.246) quadrants of the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile of university students. Students classified in the 'low registration,' 'sensory sensitivity,' and 'sensation avoidance' quadrants of Dunn’s sensory processing model exhibit significantly lower academic performance compared to their peers. Considering the impact of students' academic success in university on their future careers, the importance of identifying sensory processing issues becomes apparent. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of sensory processing on academic success and to develop interventions that can help students overcome these challenges.

Sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS) refers to personality trait that distinguishes the extent to which individuals strongly and deeply process stimuli in the environment. While being highly sensitive has been linked to increased psychopathological tendencies, the reasons for this are not well researched. One potential mediator that could explain the relationship between SPS and psychopathologies is emotion regulation—the set of processes influencing which emotions we have, when we have them, and how we experience and express them. This study therefore aimed to investigate whether sensory processing sensitivity is linked, specifically, to depression and somatization via emotion regulation difficulties. In addition, highly sensitive persons who have experienced childhood adversities have been shown to have more depressive and somatic tendencies than non-highly sensitive persons. Therefore, this study also aimed to investigate whether adverse childhood experiences moderated the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and depression and somatization. This quantitative study followed a correlational design and the survey was administered through a questionnaire to a convenience sample of 94 adults. A total of five online questionnaires were used: The Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS) developed by Aron and Aron (1997) to measure SPS, the Beck-Depression Inventory (BDI-II) developed by Beck et al. (1996) to measure depression, the Cohen–Hoberman Inventory of Physical Symptoms (CHIPS) developed by Cohen and Hoberman (1983) to measure somatization, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-16) initially developed by Gratz and Roemer, L. (2004) to measure difficulties in ER and the adverse childhood experiences, the Adverse Childhood Experien¬¬ce (ACE) Scale developed by Felitti et al. (1998) to measure ACE. The results showed that difficulties in emotion regulation predicted depression and somatization, rather than mediated the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and depression and somatization. Adverse childhood experiences did not have any moderating effect on this relationship. Future research should include larger samples to understand more accurately the relationship between all these variables.

Sensory processing sensitivity is an individual difference that captures the extent to which people show heightened emotional reactivity to, and increased cognitive processing of, their environment. Although central to its definition, there has been no research examining whether highly sensitive individuals display stronger reactivity to naturally occurring negative and positive events in everyday life. We addressed this gap by carrying out a 21-day online diary study with 239 participants, varying in sensory processing sensitivity, who reported their daily life-satisfaction, affective experiences, and self-esteem along with appraisals of the most negative and positive events of the day. Multilevel analyses demonstrated that individuals higher in sensory processing sensitivity showed greater reactivity to more subjectively intense negative events, but no difference in their reactivity to positive events. These findings provide initial insights into how sensory processing sensitivity manifests in daily emotional reactivity with greater reactivity to negative events in our study.