| Sensory processing sensitivity(SPS)is an important environmental susceptibility trait that has important value for individual survival and development,helps individuals identify environmental threats,and acquire development resources.It describes the sensitivity differences of different individuals to internal and external environmental stimuli.However,as a recent concept,there is no consensus on whether SPS is a truly independent trait,how it differs from other environmental sensitivity traits,what are its dimensional attributes and functionalities,and whether it has dual susceptibility to the environment.These issues are the basis for further research,and therefore,this study explored these issues through three sub-studies.Firstly,using a combination of meta-analysis and network analysis techniques,Study 1 investigated the relationship between SPS and eight other environmental sensitivity traits(namely,neuroticism,openness,and extraversion in the Big Five personality traits;positive affect,negative affect,and self-control in temperament traits;behavioral activation system and behavioral inhibition system in reinforcement sensitivity theory)based on 66 empirical studies and 36,370 large samples.The study also tested the moderating effects of age and region on the relationships between traits and divided the comprehensive trait network and age and regional subgroups into modules.The meta-analysis results showed that SPS,emotional reactivity(EOE),and low sensory threshold(LST)had highly similar correlation patterns with other traits(stronger correlations with negative traits),while AES was a component that was clearly distinct from the other two dimensions(stronger correlation with positive traits),and the correlations between traits were small to moderate.In addition,the relationship patterns between traits showed obvious developmental and regional cultural differences.The relationship patterns between traits and the age and regional differences were furtherconfirmed in the network analysis.In the comprehensive network,SPS and its dimensional components aggregated exclusively into a network,preliminarily confirming that SPS is an independent trait that is clearly distinct from other environmental sensitivity traits.When considering the moderating effects of age and region,it was found that EOE and LST were more strongly coupled with negative traits,while AES was more strongly coupled with positive traits.The coupling between negative traits was more evident in the Asian population.Secondly,to overcome the limitations of Study 1(using zero-order correlation as the effect value,which may result in spurious correlations or overestimation of trait relationships;and unable to construct a complete trait network for the Eastern population),Study 2 used the LPA technique to divide the Chinese population into sensitive subgroups based on a sample of 1829 Chinese individuals,and compared the results with the classification results based on Western and Japanese samples.The results showed that unlike the other two samples,the Chinese sample not only had higher overall sensitivity but also detected four instead of three sensitivity subgroups in the Chinese sample,namely,low sensitivity subgroup("dandelion",accounting for12.1%),general sensitivity subgroup("tulip",accounting for 37.0%),sunny-type high sensitivity subgroup("lilac",accounting for 22.4%),and melancholic-type high sensitivity subgroup("orchid",accounting for 28.3%).In other words,there are still two subgroups of highly sensitive populations in the Chinese sample.In addition,network analysis was used to test the predictability,centrality indicators,and network modules of each node in the Chinese population’s sensitivity trait network.The results showed that SPS had only a moderate degree of explanatory power in the global network and low degree of centrality,indicating that it was not the most influential trait in the network.Finally,based on the basic clarification of the independence,attributes,importance,and subgroups of SPS in Study 1 and Study 2,we tested the issue of whether SPS truly has dual sensitivity to positive and negative environments through Study 3.In order to fully examine how individuals’ SPS traits interact with their proximal environments(family,community,and environment),which are exposed to most frequently and have the most direct impact on their important developmental outcomes(physical and mental health and adaptation),we divided 450 adult participants into four sensitivity groups according to the subgroups identified in Study 2.After controlling for various uncertainties in the environment(moving,changing schools,changes in living standards,COVID-19,etc.),we examined the differences in the extent to which physical and mental health and adaptation were influenced by the environment among three sensitivity groups(the "dandelion" group was excluded from the multiple-group analysis due to its small sample size).The results showed that compared with the general sensitivity group,the high sensitivity group did exhibit dual sensitivity to positive and negative environments,but this phenomenon did not occur in the same sensitivity group simultaneously and was environment-specific(only existed in the sensitivity difference to parental rearing).Specifically,the "lilac" group showed sensitivity to parental emotional warmth,but immunity to parental rejection;conversely,the "orchid" group showed sensitivity to parental rejection,but resistance to parental emotional warmth.In summary,through three sub-studies,we verified the independence of SPS traits,identified their central and pivotal position in the network of environmental sensitivity traits,and found an important target(positive sensitivity)that can be used for interventions for individuals with high SPS.In addition,based on the Chinese sample,we not only detected two subtypes of high sensitivity groups("lilac" and "orchid"),but also found significant differences in their perception of parental rearing.Overall,this study has provided a basic understanding of the attributes and structure of SPS,verified its dual sensitivity to the environment,and can provide some reference and inspiration for future empirical research. |
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