Decoding Social Anxiety: The Interplay Of Personality And Sensory Processing Sensitivity Among Young Adults

Abstract

Background: Social anxiety was associated with the big five personality traits. SPS is a biologically based dimension of temperament that reflects individual differences in responsivity and reactivity to sensory and social stimuli. The authors hypothesized social anxiety to be related to both trait measures.

Purpose: This study investigated the relation between SPS and Big Five traits and social anxiety, and tested whether the addition of SPS beyond the Big Five provided incremental prediction on social anxiety.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a non-clinical sample of 148 young adults aged 18 to 25 years selected through convenience sampling procedure from four universities in Gujarat, India. The study utilized Highly Sensitive Person Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and 50 item Big Five Personality Test as assessment tools. The statistical analysis procedure involved Spearman correlation coefficients and hierarchical multiple regression analysis through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 30.0.

Results: SPS correlated positively with social anxiety (r= .359, p<.001). Social anxiety exhibited negative correlations with Extraversion (r= −.448), Conscientiousness (r= −.296), and Openness (r= −.316). SPS accounted for unique variance beyond the Big Five (ΔR2= .065, p<.001), with SPS (β= .289), Extraversion (β= −.364), and Openness (β= −.281) emerging as significant predictors in the final model. High-SPS individuals demonstrated higher social anxiety compared to low-SPS counterparts (U = 1835.00, p= .001, r= .285). Neuroticism revealed no significant associations, and no SPS × Big Five interactions emerged, suggesting additive associations in this sample.

Conclusion: SPS demonstrated incremental utility relative to the Big Five in this sample. These findings may therefore have implications for identifying dispositional vulnerability for further investigation and, with prospective validation, for young-adult mental-health screening and intervention research.