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Sensory processing sensitivity behavior moderates the association between environmental harshness, unpredictability, and child socioemotional functioning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2022

Zhi Li*
Affiliation:
School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, China
Melissa L. Sturge-Apple
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, Mt. Hope Family Center, Rochester, USA
Hannah R. Jones-Gordils
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, Mt. Hope Family Center, Rochester, USA
Patrick T. Davies
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, Mt. Hope Family Center, Rochester, USA
*
Corresponding author: Zhi Li, email: zhi.li@pku.edu.cn.

Abstract

Building on Ellis et al.’s theorization for potent dimensions of environmental adversity, the present work sought to evaluate how environmental harshness and unpredictability might function directly and in interaction with child sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) to shape the development of child socioemotional functioning. Participants were 235 young children (Mage = 2.97 at the first measurement occasion) and their parents, who were followed for two consecutive annual measurement occasions. Child SPS was measured through behavioral observation across multiple tasks within the laboratory setting. Greater environmental unpredictability was significantly associated with the development of children’s externalizing problems over a year only for children with high SPS. Follow-up analyses indicated that the unpredictability-x-SPS interaction was consistent with differential susceptibility, such that high SPS children showed greater increases in externalizing problems under high unpredictability, but also lower increases/greater decreases in externalizing problems under low unpredictability. Such association did not apply to children with low SPS.

Type
Special Issue Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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