Sensory responsiveness as a moderator of the association between cumulative trauma exposure and dissociation: a cross-sectional study

Background: Exposure to traumatic events is a well-established risk factor for dissociative symptoms; however, factors associated with individual variability in dissociation remain insufficiently understood.Objective: This study examined the relationships among sensory modulation difficulties, that is, atypical sensory responsiveness to everyday input, dissociation, and trauma exposure. Two forms of sensory responsiveness were examined: high sensory responsiveness, which denotes exaggerated and prolonged reactions to ordinary, non-painful sensory experiences (e.g. being bothered by sounds or textures), and low sensory responsiveness, which denotes reduced sensitivity to sensory input (e.g. enjoying loud noises or strong smells). The study also tested whether sensory modulation moderates the relationship between the number of traumatic events and dissociation beyond the effects of age, gender, and emotion regulation difficulties.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 242 young adults with heterogeneous exposure to potentially traumatic events, of whom 76.4% identified as women and 23.6% as men. Participants completed self-report measures of trauma exposure, dissociative symptoms, sensory responsiveness, and emotion regulation difficulties.Results: High sensory responsiveness was correlated with all dissociative dimensions and the total score, whereas low sensory responsiveness was not. In regression analyses (R² = .25–.35), high sensory responsiveness moderated the association between the number of traumatic events and dissociation (βs = .15–.19): the number of traumatic events was unrelated to dissociation at low levels of high sensory responsiveness (βs = −.08–.00, ps ≥ .36), but was associated with higher dissociation at elevated levels (βs = .28–.32, ps ≤ .003). Emotion regulation difficulties were associated with dissociation but did not moderate this link.Conclusion: Among individuals with heightened sensory responsiveness, cumulative trauma exposure may be more strongly linked to dissociation. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to determine whether sensory responsiveness constitutes a vulnerability factor and a clinically relevant target for intervention.