Validation and factor structure of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale – Canadian French version and associations with personality and mental health

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Abstract
The Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS) measures Sensory Processing Sensitivity, a trait capturing individual differences in environmental sensitivity. This study of 186 young adults aimed to (1) validate and examine the factor structure of a Canadian French translation of the HSPS, (2) test associations with personality traits and mental health symptoms, and (3) investigate the moderating role of sex. Confirmatory factor analyses supported correlated two- and three-factor models. Path analyses showed that the HSPS subfactors were differentially associated with personality and mental health outcomes. Aesthetic Sensitivity was associated with more positive features of personality and mental health, whereas Ease of Excitation and Low Sensory Threshold were associated with more negative features. Sex moderated associations between HSPS subfactors and lack of perseverance, negative urgency, sensation seeking and prosocial behaviour, with stronger effects in males. The scale demonstrated good psychometric properties, supporting the validity of the Canadian French version.