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Development of the Sensory Hypersensitivity Scale (SHS): a self-report tool for assessing sensitivity to sensory stimuli

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Abstract

Sensory hypersensitivity is one manifestation of the central sensitization that may underlie conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. We conducted five studies designed to develop and validate the Sensory Hypersensitive Scale (SHS); a 25-item self-report measure of sensory hypersensitivity. The SHS assesses both general sensitivity and modality-specific sensitivity (e.g. touch, taste, and hearing). 1202 participants (157 individuals with chronic pain) completed the SHS, which demonstrated an adequate overall internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) of 0.81, suggesting the tool can be used as a cross-modality assessment of sensitivity. SHS scores demonstrated only modest correlations (Pearson’s r) with depressive symptoms (0.19) and anxiety (0.28), suggesting a low level of overlap with psychiatric complaints. Overall SHS scores showed significant but relatively modest correlations (Pearson’s r) with three measures of sensory testing: cold pain tolerance (−0.34); heat pain tolerance (−0.285); heat pain threshold (−0.271). Women reported significantly higher scores on the SHS than did men, although gender-based differences were small. In a chronic pain sample, individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome demonstrated significantly higher SHS scores than did individuals with osteoarthritis or back pain. The SHS appears suitable as a screening measure for sensory hypersensitivity, though additional research is warranted to determine its suitability as a proxy for central sensitization.

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Abbreviations

SHS:

Sensory Hypersensitivity Scale

HSP:

Highly Sensitive Person

CNS:

Central nervous system

SPQ:

Sensory perception quotient

AASP:

Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Maureen Donohue for her valued insight and guidance while editing this manuscript. Study 5 was funded by a Grant from the NIDA (K23 DA031808).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesia, Division of Pain Management, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1070 Arastradero Rd., Suite 200, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

    Eric A. Dixon, John A. Sturgeon, Sean Mackey, Kevin A. Johnson & Jarred Younger

  2. Department of Psychological Science, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, USA

    Grant Benham

  3. Department of Psychology, Department of Anesthesiology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Jarred Younger

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  1. Eric A. Dixon
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  2. Grant Benham
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  4. Sean Mackey
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Correspondence to Eric A. Dixon.

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Eric A. Dixon, Grant Benham, John A. Sturgeon, Sean Mackey, Kevin A. Johnson, and Jarred Younger declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and animal rights and Informed consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of the 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Dixon, E.A., Benham, G., Sturgeon, J.A. et al. Development of the Sensory Hypersensitivity Scale (SHS): a self-report tool for assessing sensitivity to sensory stimuli. J Behav Med 39, 537–550 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-016-9720-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-016-9720-3

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