Investigating Sensitivity through the Lens of Parents: Validation of the Parent-Report Version of the Highly Sensitive Child scale

Children differ in their Environmental Sensitivity (ES), which can be measured observationally or by self-report questionnaire. A parent-report scale represents an important tool for investigating ES in younger children but has to be psychometrically robust and valid. In the current multi-study, we validated the parent-report version of the Highly Sensitive Child (HSC-PR) scale in Italian children, evaluating its factorial structure (Study 1, N = 1857, 6.2 years, age range: 2.6 - 14 years), and exploring differences between preschoolers (n = 1066, 4.2 years) and school-age groups (n = 791, 8.8 years). We then investigated the HSC-PR relationship with established temperament traits (Study 2, N = 329, 4.3 years), before exploring whether the scale moderates the effects of parenting stress on children’s emotion regulation (Study 3, N = 112, 6.5 years). A bi-factor structure was supported in the school-age group. In the preschoolers sample, support was found for a three-factor as the bi-factor did not converge given estimation problems for one item. Furthermore, the HSC-PR does not fully overlap with common temperament traits and moderates the effects of parenting stress on emotion regulation. Finally, the HSC-PR performs well and appears to capture ES in children. Minor adaptations are suggested for preschoolers.