The Highly Sensitive Person: Stress and physical symptom reports

The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) scale is a measure of sensory-processing sensitivity, which is conceptualized as involving both high levels of sensitivity to subtle stimuli and being easily overaroused by external stimuli. The current study examines the relationship between an individual’s sensory-processing sensitivity, self-perceived stress, and physical symptom reports. Results indicated that sensory-processing sensitivity is positively correlated with levels of stress and symptoms of ill-health. After controlling for self-perceived stress and gender, the HSP scale added significantly to a hierarchical regression model predicting self-reported health. The inclusion of an interaction term in the model proved to be non-significant, suggesting that the relationship between stress, sensory-processing sensitivity and health is best explained by an additive model. Future research examining personality factors in health and illness may benefit from the inclusion of the HSP measure.