Turkish Revised Highly Sensitive Person Scale Validates Six-Factor Sensory Processing Structure

A psychometric evaluation in Turkey has confirmed that the Revised Highly Sensitive Person Scale effectively captures sensory processing sensitivity using a balanced six-factor structure. Researchers Pelin Seçgin and Yıldız Bilge assessed the cross-cultural adaptation of the revised instrument to examine individual variations in environmental responsiveness. Their findings indicate that the adapted scale successfully maintains its intended structural framework in a non-Western community population while measuring sensitivity without the negative affectivity bias characteristic of the original measurement tool.

Sensory processing sensitivity represents an essential dimension of individual differences in how people perceive and respond to environmental stimuli. The traditional measurement tool, the Highly Sensitive Person Scale, frequently encountered methodological constraints due to a pronounced skew toward negative affectivity. To address these psychometric limitations, the revised version introduces a concise eighteen-item framework designed to balance positive experiences and social sensitivity alongside environmental responsivity within a robust six-factor model.

The study evaluated a community sample comprising 312 adults with a mean age of 29.4 years and an age standard deviation of 8.9 years. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original six-factor structure without requiring any post-hoc modifications. The structural model demonstrated an excellent fit to the empirical data, yielding a chi-square to degrees of freedom ratio of 1.67, a comparative fit index of 0.96, a root mean square error of approximation of 0.047, and a standardized root mean square residual of 0.050.

Evaluation of the scale’s internal consistency indicated strong reliability across its subscales, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.75 to 0.85 and McDonald’s omega coefficients spanning 0.76 to 0.82. In an assessment of temporal stability involving a subsample of 53 participants evaluated over a four-week interval, the test–retest reliability correlation reached 0.82. These statistical observations support the scale’s measurement precision and consistency over time in adult respondents.

Construct validity for the Turkish adaptation was established through expected patterns of association with established psychological frameworks, including the Big Five personality traits and Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory. Furthermore, the revised scale demonstrated incremental validity by explaining modest yet statistically significant unique variance in reported anxiety and stress beyond the contributions of the Big Five personality dimensions.

Importantly, sensory processing sensitivity remained empirically distinct from depressive symptoms across the evaluated community sample. This clear differentiation reinforces the theoretical conceptualization of sensitivity as a broad environmental responsivity trait rather than an indicator of primary clinical vulnerability. By successfully capturing social sensitivity and positive experiences, the adapted scale provides foundational empirical support for evaluating sensory processing sensitivity within Turkish cultural contexts.

Subject of Research: Psychometric validation of the Turkish Revised Highly Sensitive Person Scale

Article Title: Psychometric validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Turkish revised highly sensitive person scale

Article References: Seçgi̇n, P., & Bi̇lge, Y. (2026). Psychometric validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Turkish revised highly sensitive person scale. Current Psychology, 45(22), Article 1759. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-026-10305-3

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DOI: 10.1007/s12144-026-10305-3

Keywords: sensory processing sensitivity, highly sensitive person scale, psychometric validation, cross-cultural adaptation, confirmatory factor analysis, scale reliability, construct validity, incremental validity, big five traits, reinforcement sensitivity theory, environmental responsiveness, test-retest reliability, social sensitivity, anxiety variance, stress variance, clinical vulnerability distinction