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Abstract The impact of sensory defensiveness on performance, behaviour and adjustment of children has been addressed in the literature, but little has been written concerning its impact on adults. The purpose of this study was to explore whether sensory‐defensive adults had more symptoms of anxiety, depression and pain than adults without sensory defensiveness. Participants were 32 volunteers who were normal functioning adults aged 21 to 48 years, without physical or psychological diagnoses or history of abuse. They were screened to eliminate persons with undiagnosed psychological problems using the Forty‐eight Item Counseling Evaluation. Participants were assigned to a sensory‐defensive or non‐sensory‐defensive group based on their score on the ADULT‐SI, a sensory history interview, which assesses sensory defensiveness in adults. The two groups were matched for age, gender and race. Participants were then administered the IPAT Anxiety Scale, the IPAT Depression Scale and the Pain Apperception Test. Differences were found between sensory‐defensive and non‐defensive adults in anxiety (p=0.014) and depression (p=0.019), but not in pain perception. Analysis of the screening scores of the Forty‐eight Item Counseling Evaluation indicated an unexpected difference between groups in psychological adjustment (p=0.005). This study supports clinical impressions that sensory‐defensive adults differ from non‐defensive adults in some psychological parameters. A sequela of sensory defensiveness in adults may be a tendency towards increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. Further, investigation of sensory defensiveness and its sequelae in adults is recommended, using larger samples, more sensitive tools and various diagnostic categories. Exploration of the impact of sensory defensiveness on adult roles and performance and life satisfaction is also recommended. Copyright © 1999 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
Kinnealey et al. (Sun,) studied this question.