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 (Mage = 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.

Nudging to handwash during the pandemic – The use of visual priming and salience

The government has been asserting efforts to control the pandemic's infection rate by influencing people to comply with the health protocols. While these efforts aim to change people's behavior, behavior approaches like nudge are under-utilized, which thus motivates this paper. Nudge is the form of persuasion where a simple and subtle trigger is applied to encourage expected behavior. We conducted two studies to identify the right visual cues that best increase handwashing behavior. In Study 1 (online), we created some posters with varying concepts and held an online survey with 1,648 participants. Exploiting a pre-post design, we found that visual handwashing with foam and rhyming messages in the poster can lead to higher handwashing intention. In Study 2 (offline), we introduced four treatment types and observed the handwashing behavior of government officials and visitors using a hidden camera. With a total of 2062 people observed during the experiment, we found that while the treatment of procuring a proper facility did not yield a significant change in handwashing rate, our nudge treatment with the salient poster and salient footprints towards the sink increased the handwashing rate.

Sensory Processing Sensitivity and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Japanese Adults.

BACKGROUND: Sensory processing sensitivity is a personality or temperamental trait defined as individual differences in the tendency to perceive and process both positive and negative stimuli and experiences. Studies have shown that high sensitivity is correlated with psychosocial health, including depression and anxiety. However, its relationship with physical health has not been clarified. To fill this gap, using a large sample size with sufficient statistical power, an adult sample not including university students, and a range of covariates, this study examined the association between gastrointestinal symptoms as an indicator of physical health and sensory processing sensitivity. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the participants were 863 Japanese adults (female = 450; male = 413; Mage = 30.4 years; SD = 4.9) who completed a web-based questionnaire. We statistically controlled for sociodemographic characteristics and examined whether sensory processing sensitivity is correlated with gastrointestinal symptoms. RESULTS: The results showed that highly sensitive individuals were more likely to experience a wide range of gastrointestinal symptoms in the past week, including reflux symptoms, abdominal pain, indigestion symptoms, diarrhea symptoms, and constipation symptoms, even when statistically controlling for the participants' sociodemographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that high sensory processing sensitivity is associated with physical health. Some of the potential causes of this are also discussed.

Validation and study of psychometric properties of a French version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS-FR)

Introduction: The Highly Sensitive Person Scale based on the sensory-processing sensitivity is a self-assessment questionnaire consisting of 27 items. The scale is designed in order to identify individuals with high sensitivity. Objective: The objective was to develop a French version of the scale. We tested its internal consistency and test-retest reliability on a French population sample. Another aim of this study was also to question the multidimensionality of the scale, for which several different models are suggested within the literature. Method: After translation and back-translation, a validation study was conducted on 814 adults. They were invited to complete an online questionnaire during the lockdown implemented due to COVID 19, between March 31st and May 11th (2020). Results: The internal reliability of the French version of HSPS was very good, with a Cronbach's alpha of. 90, as was that of the factors. Correlations between factors were significant (p < .001). The intra-class correlation (ICC) for test-retest was. 889 (0.874–0.903;95% confidence interval). Factor analyses suggested a 4-factors structure, mixing the models found in the literature. Conclusions: This study focused on a French adaptation of the HSPS scale. The results showed good psychometric qualities and stayed true to the original HSPS scale. The scale could be useful both to practitioners in their clinical practice and to researchers in fundamental research. © 2022 Elsevier Masson SAS

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.

Youth Sensitivity in a Pandemic: The Relationship Between Sensory Processing Sensitivity, Internalizing Problems, COVID-19 and Parenting.

The personality trait sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is an established risk factor for the development of internalizing problems. Highly sensitive adolescents react stronger to environmental cues including parenting environment and stressful life events. The aim of the current study was to examine if the perceived impact of COVID-19, mediates the link between SPS and internalizing problems. In addition, it was tested if parenting style moderates the mediating effect of perceived COVID-19 impact between SPS and internalizing problems among adolescents. The study had a cross- sectional design and data were collected between April-July 2020 during the first lockdown in the Netherlands. Participants were 404 adolescents aged 9-18 years (Mage = 13.49). Questionnaires were administered online to assess SPS (Highly Sensitive Child Scale), parenting style (Parenting Style Inventory-II), internalizing problems (Patient Health Questionnaire-4) and COVID-19 pandemic impact (COVID-19 impact scale). The SPSS macro PROCESS was used to test the mediation model of perceived COVID-19 impact and the moderated mediation model with parenting style as a moderator. A relationship was found between SPS and internalizing problems which is partly mediated by the COVID-19 impact. The moderating effect of parenting style was not found. These findings provide insight into the effect the pandemic has had on highly sensitive adolescents. Further research is needed to develop and test interventions to support sensitive youth and thus possibly prevent the development of internalizing problems.

Health anxiety During COVID-19: Predictive Roles of Health Promoting Behaviors and Sensory Processing Sensitivity.

OBJECTIVE: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in major changes in daily life and economic conditions while heightening physical and mental health problems, including health anxiety. Health authorities and elected officials have encouraged individuals to engage in health behaviors. Perceptions of and reactions to these changes could be subject to individual differences. In this line, the current study investigated the predictive roles of health promoting behaviors, sensory processing sensitivity, and their interactions with health anxiety.Design and measures: In this cross-sectional study, 355 participants (73% female, 25.9% male) whose ages range from 19 to 72 (M = 25.91, SD = 9.80) filled out self-reported measures on health promoting behaviors, sensory processing sensitivity, and health anxiety via an online platform between April and May 2020. RESULTS: It was revealed that caring for a healthy diet, taking responsibility for health and sensory processing sensitivity, but not physical activity and stress management, were associated with health anxiety. Diagnoses and perceptions of physical and mental health problems also contributed to health anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: Individuals with higher levels of sensory processing sensitivity and health responsibility were more likely to experience higher levels of health anxiety, while typical physical activities and stress management behaviors were less likely to have an impact during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results highlight the importance of having a healthy diet and the need for pandemic-specific interventions for stress management and sport activities.

Sensory Processing Sensitivity Questionnaire: A Psychometric Evaluation and Associations with Experiencing the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a common human neurobiological trait that is related to many areas of human life. This trait has recently received increased public interest. However, solid scientific research on SPS is lagging behind. Progress in this area is also hindered by a lack of comprehensive research tools suitable for a rapid assessment of SPS. Thus, the aim of this study was to offer a newly developed tool, the Sensory Processing Sensitivity Questionnaire (SPSQ), and to assess its psychometric properties and associations with emotional and relational variables measured during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found the tool to have good psychometric characteristics: high temporal stability (r = 0.95) and excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.92; McDonald's ω = 0.92). The fit of the SPSQ bi-factor model was satisfactory: χ2 (88.0) = 506.141; p < 0.001; CFI = 0.993; TLI = 0.990; RMSEA = 0.070; SRMR = 0.039. Testing of configural, metric, scalar and strict invariance suggested that the SPSQ assesses SPS equivalently between males and females. The scale's validity was supported via a strong association with an existing SPS measure. Further, we observed higher total SPSQ scores among women, students and religious respondents, and we found that more sensitive respondents reported higher feelings of anxiety and more deterioration in relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this study also identifies people with this trait as being potentially more vulnerable during periods of an increased presence of global stressors.

A longitudinal approach of lockdown effects on quality of life and the expression of anxiety-depressive disorders according to sensory processing sensitivity.

The COVID-19 health crisis is perceived as an anxiety-provoking situation. In some cases, policy measures such as containment can generate psychological distress. High sensory processing sensitivity is an innate component of temperament that characterises individuals with higher sensory sensitivity than their peers. It can be understood either as an individual's ability to adapt to specific situations, or as a factor of vulnerability to certain negative stimuli, which may impact upon quality of life, or manifest itself in the expression of anxiety-depressive symptoms. In this study, we investigated the effects of confinement from a longitudinal perspective on these aspects, according to the degree of sensitivity of individuals.Data collection was carried out longitudinally during the lockdown of the French population. The sample was composed of 493 adults who were asked to respond twice, anonymously, to a research protocol hosted online. We used a tool composed of the French version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the French short version of the World Health Organisation Quality Of Life scale.The results did not show a significant change in anxiety and depression disorders and quality of life in general between the beginning and the end of lockdown. Furthermore, notable disparities were observed according to the degrees of sensitivity in relation to the type of lifestyle during lockdown.The data from the literature, based on cross-cutting approaches, was clarified by the results, as they did not show any negative effects of lockdown on anxiety-depressive disorders during the lockdown period. Moreover, the latter even seemed to have improved one aspect of quality of life.

Sensory-processing sensitivity and COVID-19 stress in a young population: The mediating role of resilience.

Psychologists worldwide are becoming increasingly concerned about the negative impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on adolescents' mental health. However, compared to studies involving adults, research using a young population is limited. To further understand the mental health of older adolescents and young adults during the pandemic, the present study examined whether resilience, as a protective factor, buffers the relationship between the personality trait of environmental sensitivity and COVID-19-related distress. In total, 441 older adolescents and young adults (53.7% women, M age = 18.91 years, SD age = 0.82 years) living in urban Japan completed an online cross-sectional survey in October 2020. The results showed that sensitivity was positively, though weakly, correlated with COVID-19 stress and negatively correlated with resilience. Resilience was negatively correlated with COVID-19 stress. Mediation analysis showed that resilience buffered the negative relationship between sensitivity and COVID-19 stress, and its indirect effect was statistically significant, albeit close to zero. These results suggest that higher sensitivity is not necessarily a vulnerability factor, if resilience can be enhanced.

Sensory Processing Sensitivity and Compassion Satisfaction as Risk/Protective Factors from Burnout and Compassion Fatigue in Healthcare and Education Professionals.

The study analyzes sensory processing sensitivity and the compassion satisfaction as risk/protective factors against burnout and compassion fatigue, during the first period of the COVID-19 health emergency. A sample of 1566 Spanish adult healthcare (n = 694) and education (n = 872) professionals was evaluated. An ad hoc questionnaire for sociodemographic data, and the highly sensitive person scale (HSPS), Maslach burnout inventory (MBI) and professional quality of life scale (ProQOL-vIV) were administered. Burnout and compassion fatigue were observed in the healthcare and education professionals, where personal realization and depersonalization were higher in healthcare and compassion fatigue in education. The protective role of compassion satisfaction was confirmed, as was sensory processing sensitivity as a risk factor, except for its low sensory threshold dimension, which positively influenced personal realization. The findings of this study demonstrate the presence of burnout and compassion fatigue in healthcare and education professionals, displaying compassion fatigue as an emerging psychosocial risk in education, which was made more severe under the conditions of study, which is at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of incorporating adequate management strategies for high sensitivity, empathy and compassion satisfaction in prevention programs is emphasized.