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. 2024 Feb;36(1):415-428.
doi: 10.1017/S0954579422001298. Epub 2022 Dec 12.

Investigating sensitivity through the lens of parents: validation of the parent-report version of the Highly Sensitive Child scale

Alessandra Sperati  1 , Maria Spinelli  1 , Mirco Fasolo  1 , Massimiliano Pastore  2 , Michael Pluess  3 , Francesca Lionetti  1   3
Affiliations

Investigating sensitivity through the lens of parents: validation of the parent-report version of the Highly Sensitive Child scale

Alessandra Sperati et al. Dev Psychopathol. 2024 Feb.

Abstract

Children differ in their environmental sensitivity (ES), which can be measured observationally or by self-report questionnaire. A parent-report scale represents an important tool for investigating ES in younger children but has to be psychometrically robust and valid. In the current multistudy, we validated the parent-report version of the Highly Sensitive Child (HSC-PR) scale in Italian children, evaluating its factorial structure (Study 1, N = 1,857, 6.2 years, age range: 2.6-14 years) through a multigroup Confirmatory Factory Analysis in preschoolers (n = 1,066, 4.2 years) and school-age children (n = 791, 8.8 years). We then investigated the HSC-PR relationship with established temperament traits (Study 2, N = 327, 4.3 years), before exploring whether the scale moderates the effects of parenting stress on children's emotion regulation (Study 3, N = 112, 6.5 years). We found support for a bi-factor structure in both groups, though in preschoolers minor adaptations were suggested for one item. Importantly, the HSC-PR did not fully overlap with common temperament traits and moderated the effects of parenting stress on children emotion regulation. To conclude, the HSC-PR performs well and appears to capture ES in children.

Keywords: Highly Sensitive Child scale; children; differential susceptibility; environmental sensitivity; parent report.

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