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Heightened sensitivity to the environment characterizes approximately 30% of the population and is associated with a higher reactivity, positive or negative, to the surrounding environment. Little attention has been devoted to study the association between this trait and the response to nature and animals, despite the potential benefits of the natural environment for highly sensitive individuals. In the present two studies (N = 241, 83% female, age M = 37.43, SD = 13.5; N = 144, 92% female, age M = 39.9, SD = 13.1) we assessed the association of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), measured with the Highly Sensitive Person scale, with nature and animal affinity. In both studies, we found SPS to predict higher connectedness to nature. In addition, whilst there was no association between high SPS and attachment to pets in Study 1, in Study 2 SPS was predictive of a higher animal affinity, assessed in terms of stewardship and protection of animals. The present studies provide the first quantitative empirical evidence that highly sensitive individuals are more connected with nature and animals, therefore opening the possibility to explore nature based solutions to improve the quality of life in individuals scoring high in SPS.

Author(s): Ludovica Di Paola [sup.1] , Annalaura Nocentini [sup.1] , Francesca Lionetti [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/04jr1s763, grid.8404.8, 0000 0004 1757 2304, Department of Education, Languages, Interculture, Literature and Psychology, [...], Empirical evidence regarding the impact of childhood emotional neglect on later adjustment is mixed, with some studies reporting neglect to predict low psychological well-being, while others reporting a well-adjusted development despite childhood experiences of emotional neglect. This heterogeneity is understood within a resilient framework where individual and contextual factors act as moderators. This is the first study investigating the moderating role of environmental sensitivity and contextual resilience on the association between childhood emotional neglect and psychological well-being.737 students from the University of Florence with an age ranging from 18 to 30 years (M = 19.81; SD = 1.91; 87% female) took part in the research. To investigate the effects of childhood emotional neglect on relational well-being, and the moderating role of environmental sensitivity and contextual resilience on the impact of emotional neglect, a series of generalized linear models, including only main effects and then adding interaction terms, were run and compared. Results provided support for a three-way interaction model, with environmental sensitivity and contextual resilience moderating the impact of childhood emotional neglect on relational well-being in young adulthood (B = .37, SE = .11, p < .001). Among those who experienced severe levels of childhood emotional neglect, young adults high in environmental sensitivity were more susceptible to the positive impact of supportive contexts, presenting higher levels of well-being compared to those low in environmental sensitivity. This study suggests that promoting supportive contexts in adulthood might reduce the impact of severe childhood emotional neglect, particularly in individuals with an increased environmental sensitivity.

Abstract This registered report evaluated the efficacy of an Italian adaptation of the "Identity Project," a school-based intervention promoting adolescents' cultural identity. Migration background and environmental sensitivity were explored as moderators. After adapting and piloting the intervention, a randomized controlled trial was conducted between October 2021 and January 2022 on 747 ethnically diverse adolescents (M[subscript age] = 15 years, 53% girls, 31% with migration background) attending 45 classrooms randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. Bayesian analyses confirmed the efficacy of the Italian IP in enhancing exploration processes (Cohen's d = 0.18), whereas no cascading effect on resolution emerged. Youth with higher (vs. lower) levels of environmental sensitivity benefited more in terms of exploration. Implications for developmental theory and practice are discussed.

Oral health care can be a difficult experience for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), for their family and for the dentist. The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of the challenges experienced by the three aforementioned figures during oral care treatment. A cohort of 275 parents of typical development children (TD), 57 parents of children with ASD (3-15 years old) and by 61 dentists, completed two different multiple choices questionnaires. The data obtained show a great difficulty in the treatment of children with ASD as seen by the dentists and by the parents. This is due to: caregivers' demographic issues; difficulties encountered before and during the dental examination; scarce presence of experts in ASD treatment.

Various theories suggest that human beings differ regarding their susceptibility to environmental stimuli, some of these theories have their origin in the field of developmental psychology. From an evolutionary perspective, it has been assumed that this susceptibility trait follows a normal distribution in the population, with a minority being particularly sensitive to environmental stimuli. However, empirical evidence on identifiable groups of differently sensitive adolescents is still scarce, and there is a lack of cultural comparison. Based on this reserach gap, the goal of the present study was to replicate existing studies investigating sensitivity groups in a sample of adolescents attending schools in Germany. A sample of 749 adolescents (45% female; M[subscript age] = 15.29, SD[subscript age] = 1.45), coming from all three typical types of schools in Germany, participated in the study by completing a shortened and translated 10-item version of the original Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) scale. Results supported the existence of three sensitivity groups that differed significantly from each other on their respective mean HSP scores. At the same time, however, findings revealed evidence for a deviation from existing findings, as the low sensitive group was smaller, and the medium and high sensitivity groups were larger. Measurements and cultural aspects are discussed.

According to several developmental theories some children are more sensitive to the quality of their environment than others, but most supporting empirical evidence is based on relatively distal markers of hypothesized sensitivity. This study provides evidence for the validity of behaviorally observed Environmental Sensitivity as a moderator of parenting effects on children's early development in a sample of 292 children (Mage = 3.74; SD = 0.26) and their mothers. Sensitivity was coded using a newly developed observational measure for the specific and objective assessment of Environmental Sensitivity, the Highly Sensitive Child-Rating System (HSC-RS). HSC-RS factorial structure, associations with temperament traits, and interactions with parenting quality in the prediction of socioemotional child outcomes are reported. Findings supported a 1-factor solution. Observed sensitivity was relatively distinct from observed temperament and interacted with both low and high parenting quality in the development of behavior problems and social competence at ages 3 and 6.

Author(s): Sofie Weyn [sup.1] , Karla Van Leeuwen [sup.1] , Michael Pluess [sup.2] , Francesca Lionetti [sup.2] , Corina U. Greven [sup.3] [sup.4] [sup.5] , Luc Goossens [sup.1] , Hilde [...], Adolescents differ in their degree of Environmental Sensitivity, that is, the ability to perceive and process information about their environment. The present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Highly Sensitive Child scale (HSC), a self-report measure of Environmental Sensitivity, in two Belgian and UK samples with a total of 3056 adolescents. First, the factor structure, internal consistency, dimensionality, and construct validity of the HSC scale were examined. Second, measurement invariance of the HSC scale across developmental stage, gender, and country was tested. Results supported a bifactor model with a general sensitivity factor and three group factors: Ease of Excitation (EOE), Low Sensory Threshold (LST), and Aesthetic Sensitivity (AES). Cronbach&apos;s alpha and McDonalds&apos;s (hierarchical) omega indicated that the HSC scale is a reliable measure of Environmental Sensitivity, except for AES. Furthermore, AES was associated with different personality traits than EOE and LST. Second, the HSC scale was partially measurement invariant across developmental stage, gender, and country. The results provide important insights in the psychometrics of a first measurement of Environmental Sensitivity in early to late adolescents. Implications for further research are discussed.

Background: For investigating the individual–environment interplay and individual differences in response to environmental exposures as captured by models of environmental sensitivity including Diathesis‐stress, Differential Susceptibility, and Vantage Sensitivity, over the last few years, a series of statistical guidelines have been proposed. However, available solutions suffer of computational problems especially relevant when sample size is not sufficiently large, a common condition in observational and clinical studies. Method: In the current contribution, we propose a Bayesian solution for estimating interaction parameters via Monte Carlo Markov Chains (MCMC), adapting Widaman et al. (Psychological Methods, 17, 2012, 615) Nonlinear Least Squares (NLS) approach. Results: Findings from an applied exemplification and a simulation study showed that with relatively big samples both MCMC and NLS estimates converged on the same results. Conversely, MCMC clearly outperformed NLS, resolving estimation problems and providing more accurate estimates, particularly with small samples and greater residual variance. Conclusions: As the body of research exploring the interplay between individual and environmental variables grows, enabling predictions regarding the form of interaction and the extent of effects, the Bayesian approach could emerge as a feasible and readily applicable solution to numerous computational challenges inherent in existing frequentist methods. This approach holds promise for enhancing the trustworthiness of research outcomes, thereby impacting clinical and applied understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperation, as a mutual collaboration, is a defining feature of human social life. Individual characteristics can influence cooperation. Recent studies have shown a quadratic relationship between cardiac vagal tone (CVT), an index of self‐regulation, and prosocial behaviors. Individual differences in cooperation might also vary as a function of people's environmental sensitivity (ES), i.e., may be influenced by individual differences in the perception and processing of inner and external stimuli. We tested the direct and interactive effect of CVT and ES on cooperative behaviors in two independent samples. We measured heart rate and engagement in cooperative acts in 80 young adults (M = 23.61; SD = 1.60) who were also asked to self‐report on ES. We found an inverted‐U relationship between CVT and cooperative behaviors. ES, on the other hand, did not predict differences in cooperative behaviors but moderated the relationships between CVT and cooperation, although the magnitude of this result was small. Specifically, only among individuals with higher ES cooperative behaviors change as a function of CVT. Highly sensitive individuals with lower or higher CVT, were less cooperative than low sensitive ones. Subsequently, we replicated the same study design in a second sample of 88 undergraduate students (M = 23.69; SD = 4.91). Once again, we found evidence supporting the presence of an inverted‐U relationship between CVT and cooperative behaviors, and we also found that ES moderated the relationships between the quadratic CVT term and cooperation. Our findings add new evidence on physiological self‐regulation as an underlying mechanism of prosocial behaviors, in particular cooperation. In two independent samples, our results showed a quadratic relationship between cardiac vagal tone (CVT) and cooperation. We found that this relationship is moderated by environmental sensitivity (ES). Specifically, only among individuals with higher ES, cooperative behaviors change as a function of CVT. To make the world more cooperative, people should learn how to regulate especially when they are highly sensitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coping with stress is essential for mental well-being and can be critical for highly sensitive individuals, characterized by a deeper perception and processing of stimuli. So far, the molecular bases characterizing high-sensitivity traits have not been completely investigated and gene × environment interactions might play a key role in making some people more susceptible than others. Methods: In this study, 104 young adult university students, subjects that might face overwhelming experiences more than others, were evaluated for the genetics and epigenetics of dopamine (DAT1) and serotonin (SERT) transporter genes, in addition to the expression of miR-132, miR-491, miR-16, and miR-135. Results: We found an increase in DNA methylation at one specific CpG site at DAT1 5'UTR in highly sensitive students reporting high levels of perceived stress when compared to those less sensitive and/or less stressed. Moreover, considering DAT1 VNTR at 3'UTR, we observed that this effect was even more pronounced in university students having the 9/9 genotype when compared to those with the 9/10 genotype. These data are corroborated by the higher levels of miR-491, targeting DAT1, in highly sensitive subjects with high levels of perceived stress. SERT gene DNA methylation at one specific CpG site was reported to instead be higher in subjects reporting lower perceived stress when compared to more stressed subjects. Consistently, miR-135 expression, regulating SERT, was lower in subjects with higher perceived stress. Conclusions: We here suggest that the correlation of DAT1 and SERT genetic and epigenetic data with the analysis of stress and sensitivity might be useful to suggest possible biomarkers to monitor mental health wellness in vulnerable subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several theories suggest that people differ significantly in their environmental sensitivity, defined as the capacity to perceive and process information about the environment. More sensitive people, who make up between 25% and 30% of the population, are not only more negatively affected by adverse experiences but also benefit disproportionately from positive ones, in line with differential susceptibility theory. Heightened emotional reactivity has been identified as one of the key markers of sensitivity. However, the current understanding of the relationship between sensitivity and the experience and processing of emotions remains limited. In the current paper we propose a new conceptual framework for the multiple ways in which environmental sensitivity may impact on different aspects of the experience and processing of emotions. This includes heightened perception of emotions, increased emotional reactivity, as well as the important role of emotion regulation for the well-being of highly sensitive people. In addition, we also consider rearing experiences in shaping sensitivity and emotion regulation. The reviewed empirical studies largely support the conceptual model but more research is needed to explore the dynamics between sensitivity and emotions further. Finally, we discuss several implications for well-being before making a case for the inclusion of individual differences in environmental sensitivity in affective science. This article is part of the theme issue 'Sensing and feeling: an integrative approach to sensory processing and emotional experience'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mother--infant attunement is fundamental to supporting infant socio-emotional development. Based on the assumption that we connect better with others if we are aware of and connected with our own experience, mindfulness could affect the maternal ability to attune to the infant. However, little is known about this topic in the first year of life. Study 1 aimed to investigate the role of maternal dispositional mindfulness and mindful parenting in mother--infant physiological and behavioral attunement at 3 months of age. Study 2 aimed to explore the effect of a mindfulness-based intervention not specific to parenting experience on mother--infant behavioral and physiological attunement and on maternal wellbeing at 9 months of age. Methods: In Study 1, mother--infant (n = 67) behavioral and physiological attunement (i.e., co-regulation and RSA) were collected simultaneously each 20 s during face-to-face interaction. Mothers completed questionnaires about their dispositional mindfulness and mindful parenting. In Study 2, mother-- infant dyads were randomly divided into a control (n = 20) and an intervention group (n = 29). The intervention group attended a 5-week mindfulness-based intervention. At T1 and T2, the same procedure described in Study 1 was applied and mothers reported about their wellbeing. Results: Results showed that maternal mindfulness was associated with high physiological and behavioral attunement at 3 months and with more positive maternal behaviors and less stress at 9 months. Analysis evidenced a slight improvement in the intervention group in maternal dispositional mindfulness and a reduction in parenting stress at T2. Discussion: Findings from both studies suggested that maternal mindfulness could represent a protective factor that could support mothers in fostering better dyadic interactions with their infants. The implementation of mindfulness-based interventions for mothers could have preventive and clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this study is bystanders' behavior and their willingness to intervene in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) in three different countries (China, Italy, and Ethiopia), considering individual and social factors (i.e., right-wing Authoritarianism, masculinity ideology, and gender). The Italian sample was made up of 192 participants (56% male). The Chinese sample was made up of 274 participants (66% female). The Ethiopian sample was made up of 161 participants (53.3% female). Participants completed the Male Role Norms Inventory–Short Form, the Right-wing Authoritarianism Scale, and the Willingness to intervene in cases of IPVAW. The Chinese model suggested how masculinity ideology is negatively associated with "reporting the incident to the authorities" factor, and positively with "not my business" factor. Right-wing authoritarianism is positively associated with "reporting the incident to the authorities" factor. The Italian model suggested how masculinity ideology was positively related to the "reporting the incident to the authorities" factor, and gender was negatively related to "not my business" factor, and positively related to "personal involvement" factor. The Ethiopian model suggested how masculinity ideology is positively associated with "personal involvement in the case" factor and gender is positively associated with the "reporting the incident to the authorities" factor. Masculine ideologies, authoritarian personality characteristics, and gender are predisposing factors toward bystander attitudes when confronted with cases of intimate partner violence. Our findings highlight key areas of focus to help raise awareness related to IPV cases, and policy aimed at promoting prosocial society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of studies document that children differ in the degree they are shaped by their developmental context with some being more sensitive to environmental influences than others. Multiple theories suggest that "Environmental Sensitivity" is a common trait predicting the response to negative as well as positive exposures. However, most research to date has relied on more or less proximal markers of Environmental Sensitivity. In this paper we introduce a new questionnaire--the "Highly Sensitive Child" (HSC) scale--as a promising self-report measure of Environmental Sensitivity. After describing the development of the short 12-item HSC scale for children and adolescents, we report on the psychometric properties of the scale, including confirmatory factor analysis and test-retest reliability. After considering bivariate and multivariate associations with well-established temperament and personality traits, we apply Latent Class Analysis to test for the existence of hypothesized sensitivity groups. Analyses are conducted across 5 studies featuring 4 different U.K.-based samples ranging in age from 8-19 years and with a total sample size of N = 3,581. Results suggest the 12-item HSC scale is a psychometrically robust measure that performs well in both children and adolescents. Besides being relatively independent from other common traits, the Latent Class Analysis suggests that there are 3 distinct groups with different levels of Environmental Sensitivity--low (approx. 25-35%), medium (approx. 41-47%), and high (20-35%). Finally, we provide exploratory cut-off scores for the categorization of children into these different groups which may be useful for both researchers and practitioners.

Despite growing concern about climate change, there remains a significant gap between individuals' environmental concern and their actual behaviour. Humans' personal relationship with nature is a key contributor to pro‐environmental behaviour (PEB), which may account for this gap. Those individuals with high levels of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), approximately 25%–30% of the population, have a particularly strong connection with the natural world and have a 'pause to check' attitude that may make them more prone to consider future consequences of actions. We hypothesise that (1) a disposition to experience awe, characterizing high SPS, mediates the association between the trait and connectedness to nature (CN); (2) SPS is associated with PEB, and CN mediates the association; and (3) consideration for future consequences also mediates the association between high SPS and PEB.807 participants completed an online survey including validated measures of SPS, CN, awe, PEB and consideration for future consequences. Correlational and mediational analyses were performed to test the hypotheses.The study showed that the relationship between SPS and CN was mediated by awe. The relationship between SPS and PEB was independently mediated by CN and consideration for future consequences.Policy implications. The UN Sustainable Development Goals were set to reduce inequalities (SDG 10) by considering individual differences, as well as improving climate action (SDG 13). This study shows that psychological dimensions such as sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) are linked to pro‐environmental behaviour (PEB) through future‐oriented thinking and feeling connected with nature. These results also suggest that cultivating connectedness to nature and training those with lower SPS to consider future consequences of actions may be a potential avenue to improve PEB. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]