Individual Differences and Susceptibility to Burnout Syndrome: Sensory Processing Sensitivity and Its Relation to Exhaustion and Disengagement

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Spanish sensory processing sensitivity questionnaire (S-SPSQ)

Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) is a temperament trait rooted in biology, and is distinguished by heightened awareness, emotional responsiveness, and sensitivity to environmental stimuli. In this study, we aimed to enable the assessment of SPS within Spanish-speaking populations. To achieve this, we translated, adapted, and validated the Sensory Processing Sensitivity Questionnaire (SPSQ), which offers a comprehensive evaluation of SPS, encompassing both positive and negative aspects of the trait. Participants were 1,004 (844 females, mean age 37) mainly from Chile (964), and 40 were from other Spanish-speaking regions. Confirmatory factor analysis, utilizing the diagonally weighted least squares method, was applied to validate the internal structure of the Spanish version of the SPSQ (S-SPSQ). Fit indices such as GFI, CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and SRMR were scrutinized. Reliability assessment utilized Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega. Three models were examined: Model I (six factors) displayed robustness, Model II (six factors plus a general factor) did not show substantive improvement, and Model III (Higher Order and Bifactor) excelled in fit while balancing complexity and representation, thus validating the findings of the original SPSQ and indicating similar reliability coefficients. The study offers a balanced perspective on SPS and contributes to cross-cultural validation of an SPS instrument which may facilitate research and guide personalized therapeutic interventions, thus enhancing outcomes for highly sensitive persons.

Genetics of environmental sensitivity and its association with variations in emotional problems, autistic traits, and wellbeing

Greater environmental sensitivity has been associated with increased risk of mental health problems, especially in response to stressors, and lower levels of subjective wellbeing. Conversely, sensitivity also correlates with lower risk of emotional problems in the absence of adversity, and in response to positive environmental influences. Additionally, sensitivity has been found to correlate positively with autistic traits. Individual differences in environmental sensitivity are partly heritable, but it is unknown to what extent the aetiological factors underlying sensitivity overlap with those on emotional problems (anxiety and depressive symptoms), autistic traits and wellbeing. The current study used multivariate twin models and data on sensitivity, emotional problems, autistic traits, and several indices of psychological and subjective wellbeing, from over 2800 adolescent twins in England and Wales. We found that greater overall sensitivity correlated with greater emotional problems, autistic traits, and lower subjective wellbeing. A similar pattern of correlations was found for the Excitation and Sensory factors of sensitivity, but, in contrast, the Aesthetic factor was positively correlated with psychological wellbeing, though not with emotional problems nor autistic traits. The observed correlations were largely due to overlapping genetic influences. Importantly, genetic influences underlying sensitivity explained between 2 and 12% of the variations in emotional problems, autistic traits, and subjective wellbeing, independent of trait-specific or overlapping genetic influences. These findings encourage incorporating the genetics of environmental sensitivity in future genomic studies aiming to delineate the heterogeneity in emotional problems, autistic traits, and wellbeing.

Practitioner Review: Differential susceptibility theory: might it help in understanding and treating mental health problems in youth?

Diathesis-stress models conceptualise individual differences in propensity for psychopathology as an interaction between environmental risk factors and intra-individual vulnerabilities. In contrast, the differential susceptibility theory and related frameworks view intra-individual differences as variations in sensitivity to the environments rather than merely vulnerability to them. Specifically, they suggest that more sensitive individuals are more affected by the quality of their context, whether positive or negative, than others who are less sensitive. Empirical research over the last two decades has found support for this notion in that greater sensitivity is associated with a greater risk of psychopathology in adverse contexts, but also with lower risk in positive environments. However, despite growing academic and public interest in this field, it is currently unclear to what extent the differential susceptibility model is relevant, or applicable, to clinical practice. The purpose of this review is to focus on the differential susceptibility theory as an alternative explanation of individual differences in mental health and examine its relevance in the treatment of mental health problems in young people. We provide an overview of differential susceptibility and related theories, and current relevant research in the field. We identify potential implications of differential susceptibility models for understanding and treating mental health problems in young people, whilst also highlighting important gaps in research that limit their application at present. Finally, we suggest directions for future research that will assist in the translation of differential susceptibility theories into clinical practice.

Occupational Psychosocial Risks and Quality of Professional Life in Service Sector Workers with Sensory Processing Sensitivity

The aim of this study was to analyze the role of sensory processing sensitivity in the perception of stress under certain working conditions and its relationship with indicators of quality of professional life, in service sector workers. The participants (n = 3180) completed the Spanish versions of HSPS-S, CoPSoQ and ProQoL. The results show that exposure to certain working conditions represents a risk to the quality of professional life in workers of different fields, such as education, healthcare, hospitality and administration/management. The presence of high sensitivity is associated with poorer quality of professional life, specifically burnout and compassion fatigue. This study demonstrates the need to develop prevention programs aimed at managing stress by improving the working conditions, in order to adequately address sensory processing sensitivity and, consequently, promote the quality of professional life of service sector workers who present high sensitivity.

Must one take the bitter with the sweet? Sensory processing sensitivity and factors associated with resilience among artistically inclined individuals

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), linked with a penchant for the arts and creativity, exerts its bivalent influences, contingent on context, on individuals' health-related outcomes. But little is known about how it interacts with creative self-concept (CSC). Focusing on the role of SPS, this study identified risk and protective factors of resilience among artistically inclined individuals from middle to later life during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) restriction period and examined the interaction effect between SPS and CSC on depression. Two stages of analyses were pursued. Stage 1 identified factors associated with resilience by using regression and profile analyses on data from 224 anonymized respondents from middle to third age (M_age = 54.08, SD = 10.08, range = 40-84) with diverse disciplinary backgrounds in visual arts. Stage 2 examined the influence of SPS on the relationship between CSC and depression. SPS, lack of peer support of shared interests in the arts, and depression emerged as risk factors associated with lower levels of resilience. The profiles of SPS components among the relatively high and low resilience groups were found to be divergent. The effects of CSC on depression were contingent upon SPS, controlling for neuroticism. The findings call for future research to examine the differential correlational patterns among the SPS components and neuroticism across different populations. The risk/protective factors and patterns found in this study provide directions for research in SPS and applied work to support artistically inclined individuals from middle to later life.

Relationship between Sensitivity Tendency and Psychological Stress Reactivity in Healthy Students

This study examined the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and psychological stress reactivity in 69 healthy Japanese university students. The Japanese version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale and the Japanese version of the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile were used for subjective assessment. The Galvanic skin response was measured as an objective measure of stress responses while the participants were completing the Stroop task. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, and the Mann−Whitney U test were conducted for data analysis. The results demonstrated that there was no significant correlation between the Japanese version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale and Galvanic skin response. However, there was a marginal trend toward significance between low registration in the Japanese version of the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile and Galvanic skin response (rs = 0.231, p < 0.10; rs = 0.219, p < 0.10), suggesting that self-rated sensitivity was not necessarily associated with objective measures. These results indicate that sensory processing sensitivity analyses require the consideration of the traits and characteristics of the participants and multifaceted evaluations using a sensitivity assessment scale other than the Japanese version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale.