Background: Although adults are known to have sensory sensitivity differences, existing sensitivity scales have been mostly developed for children. The limited number of adult scales measure social/emotional features and modalities together.
Aims: To develop scales for adults that evaluate visual, auditory and somatosensory sensitivities as separate domains and independent of social/emotional features.
Methods and procedures: Two consecutive studies (visual-auditory part and somatosensory part) were conducted using the same methods. Both studies included a pilot (n1 = 405 and n2 = 294) and a main group (n1 = 425 and n2 = 603). An exploratory factor analysis produced a single-factor solution for the visual and auditory domains and a three-factor solution for the somatosensory domain (touch, pain, and itch) of Sensory Sensitivity Scales.
Outcomes and results: A confirmatory factor analysis revealed good construct validity in the the visual (CFI = .973, TLI = .965, and RMSEA = .075) auditory (CFI = .943, TLI = .927, and RMSEA = .074) and somatosensory (CFI = .955, TLI = .946, and RMSEA = .048) scales. The categories were internally consistent (αv = .86, αa = .79, αs = .69). As an indicator of convergent validity, higher autistic traits were related to higher sensitivity (rs-v = .17, rs-a = .25, rs-s = .14).
Conclusions and implications: Sensory Sensitivity Scales (SeSS) can be used to screen sensory sensitivity variability or identify and follow up the outcome of sensory interventions in adults.
Keywords: Autistic traits; Reliability; Sensory sensitivity; Validity.
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