Validation of the Pain and Sensitivity Reactivity Scale in Neurotypical Late Adolescents

Background: In recent years there has been an increased interest in studying sensory responses to stimuli in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Sensory reactivity has been linked to restric-tive and repetitive behaviors. However, few instruments have been designed to assess the dimen-sions of sensory hyporeactivity and pain in the general population. Methods: The psychometric properties of the Pain and Sensitivity Reactivity Scale (PSRS) were analyzed in a non-clinical sample of 1,122 adolescents and adults (mean age = 22.39, SD = 7.32). Results: The PSRS exhibited excellent psychometric properties and three first-order factor models were confirmed. The sensory hyperreactivity subscales were highly correlated with the sensory over-responsivity scales, whereas a moderate correlation was found between sensory hyperreactivity measured via the PSRS and OCI-R subscales. Furthermore, sensory hyporeactivity and hyperreactivity appear to be moderately and positively correlated. Differences were observed as a function of sex and age. Conclusions: PSRS is a reliable measure for analyzing pain and sensory reactivity in neurotypical populations. Future research should include clinical samples and multiple informants.