“Wherever You Are, Be There Totally”: Sensory Processing Sensitivity, Student Mental Health and the Moderating Effect of Mindfulness

Lindenhayn, Taya (2024) “Wherever You Are, Be There Totally”: Sensory Processing Sensitivity, Student Mental Health and the Moderating Effect of Mindfulness. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

Text TLBachelorthesisENAPA72023-2024.docx.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only Download (289kB)

Abstract

Student mental health has emerged as a significant topic of discussion, with nearly half of the student population in the Netherlands experiencing the adverse effects of poor mental health. While mental health has various potential risk factors, this paper will focus on sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) - a character trait difference in how sensitive an individual is to their surroundings. A moderating variable of mindfulness was also included in the research. The first hypothesis constructed states there is a negative association between SPS and student mental health. The second hypothesis expresses that the moderating effect of mindfulness dampens the previously mentioned negative relationship. In order to investigate these hypotheses, 249 Dutch university students filled out an online questionnaire through a cross-sectional survey - analyzed with a regression analysis. Findings showed support for a negative association between SPS and student mental health from the first hypothesis, while no significant moderating effect of mindfulness was found. Results indicate that SPS is a relevant risk factor for student mental health - contributing to the appreciation of intervention methods and the focus on identifying and preventing adverse effects. Future research should focus on other possible variables which may dampen this negative association, potentially implementing a longitudinal study method or focusing on a more specific factor of student mental health, such as anxiety. Keywords: Sensory Processing Sensitivity, Student Mental Health, Mindfulness, Regression Analysis, Dutch University

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Dellen, S.A. van
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	None [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	05 Jul 2024 08:48
Last Modified:	05 Jul 2024 08:48
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3675

Actions (login required)

View Item