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 (+/-. 1 SD) 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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 24-29 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Personality and Individual Differences |
| Volume | 87 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015.
Keywords
- Differential susceptibility
- Life satisfaction
- Personality
- Sensory processing sensitivity
- Stress and coping
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Psychology