RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SENSORY PROCESSING SENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY TRAIT/STATE WITH SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIORS IN ADOLESCENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Abstract

Objectives: This research was aimed to examine the link between sensory processing sensitivity and self-harming behaviors, specifically by mediating this link through state anxiety and moderation by trait anxiety.

Design of the study: This is a cross-sectional study

Place and duration of the study: Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, September 2023 to July 2024.

Sample and Method: 100 adolescents, aged between 11 to 18 years (M = 14.14, SD = 2.85). They were recruited from Autism centers in Islamabad and Clinical Psychology Department, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University. The participants were selected using a purposive sampling method, and the information that was obtained about them includes demographic details such as age and educational level of the parents. The Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS) was used to assess the degree of sensory processing sensitivity, the level of anxiety by state trait anxiety inventory (STAI), and self-injurious behavior through Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS). A strong positive correlation was observed between the level of anxiety and the level of sensory processing sensitivity in this study. Hierarchical regression depicted state anxiety not mediate between the sensory processing sensitivity and self-injurious behavior but trait anxiety moderates the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and self-harming behaviors.