title: Sensory-processing sensitivity moderates the association between childhood experiences and adult life satisfaction.
abstract: There are few studies testing the differential susceptibility hypothesis (DSH: hypothesizing that some individuals are more responsive to both positive and negative experiences) with adult personality traits. The current study examined the DSH by investigating the moderating effect of sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS) on childhood experiences and life satisfaction. A total of 185 adults completed measures of SPS, positive/negative childhood experiences and life satisfaction. SPS did moderate the association between childhood experiences and life satisfaction. Simple slopes analysis compared those reporting high and low SPS (+/-1SD) and revealed that the difference was observed only for those who reported negative childhood experiences; with the high SPS group reporting lower life satisfaction. There was no difference observed in those reporting positive childhood experiences, which supported a diathesis-stress model rather than the DSH.
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Emotions & Affective Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Essex, UK.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Standage
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Emotions & Affective Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fox
keywords: Differential susceptibility; Life satisfaction; Personality; Sensory processing sensitivity; Stress and coping