Abstract:
The aim of this study was to investigate the role of sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS), which was characteristic of highly sensitive individuals, in the association between suppression emotion regulation and depression. Data was collected from 201 undergraduate students who completed either online or paper questionnaires, including the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (α = .87), the Suppression Subscale of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (α = .77), and the Depression Subscale of the Depression Stress Anxiety Scale-21 (α = .87). Correlational analyses revealed significant positive correlations between sensory-processing sensitivity and depression (r(199) = .36, p < .01), sensory-processing sensitivity and suppression (r(199) = .19, p < .01), as well as suppression and depression (r(199) = .28, p < .01), confirming study hypotheses. Additionally, a simple mediation analysis supported the mediating effect of suppression in the relationship between sensory-processing sensitivity and depression (ab = 0.037, 95% bootstrap CI [0.003, 0.088]). The results suggested that suppression emotion regulation could help account for depression in individuals with sensory-processing sensitivity. These findings could be used for both preventive and therapeutic measures in ameliorating depression in highly sensitive individuals.