Sensory Reactivity Among School-Age Children and Parental Stress: Findings From the Population-Based InProS Study

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Occupational Therapy
• Psychology

Background:

• Sensory reactivity (SR) differences in children can impact family dynamics.
• Parental stress is a significant factor in child development and well-being.
• Understanding the link between SR and parental stress is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between sensory reactivity differences in children and parental stress levels.
• To identify specific sensory domains that contribute to increased parental stress.
• To inform family-centered support strategies for parents of children with sensory processing variations.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, population-based study involving 466 parents and their typically developing children aged 3-7 years.
• Parental stress assessed using the Parental Stress Scale (12-item Likert questionnaire).
• Sensory reactivity measured using the Short Sensory Profile; associations explored via multiple linear regression.

Main Results:

• Global SR differences were significantly associated with increased parental stress for both mothers and fathers.
• Specific sensory domains, including Tactile Sensitivity, Underresponsive/Seeks Sensation, Auditory Filtering, Low Energy/Weak, and Visual/Auditory sensitivity, showed associations with parental stress.
• These associations were consistent across both maternal and paternal stress levels.

Conclusions:

• Sensory reactivity differences in children are a notable correlate of increased stress for both parents.
• Family-centered support is essential to mitigate parental stress associated with children's sensory processing variations.
• Occupational therapy practitioners can play a vital role in providing strategies to reduce parental stress and enhance family well-being.