Our research shows that people with ADHD can view high sensitivity as a positive aspect of their ADHD. Moreover, people with more ADHD characteristics score higher on a questionnaire about sensitivity.
ADHD and high sensitivity both bring both strengths and challenges. But what do they have to do with each other? Our research shows that people with ADHD often view high sensitivity as a positive aspect of their ADHD. Moreover, people with more ADHD characteristics score higher on a questionnaire about sensitivity.
Before we dive deeper into this, let’s have a closer look at what high sensitivity is. Sensory processing sensitivity is a personality trait that reflects how sensitive people are to stimuli from their internal and external environment (Greven et al., 2019). This sensitivity exists on a spectrum, with about 20% of people being on the higher end of the spectrum. They are also called “highly sensitive”. Highly sensitive people are characterized by being more sensitive to subtle stimuli, having greater emotional responses, being more empathic, process information more deeply and be more prone to overstimulation.
In a survey together with Impuls&Woortblind, the Dutch organization for people with ADHD and dyslexia, we asked people with ADHD what they consider positive aspects of their ADHD (Schippers et al., 2022). About two hundred of their members with ADHD filled out the questionnaire. Some of them answered that they see (high)sensitivity as a positive aspect of their ADHD. We found this very interesting and wanted to explore this further in a new survey.
In a second study, nearly seven hundred people from the general population filled out questionnaires about ADHD and strengths, including high sensitivity (Schippers et al., 2024). We found that people with more ADHD characteristics also scored higher on a questionnaire about sensitivity. This was true for both higher inattention and higher hyperactivity being associated with higher sensitivity. We also compared a small group of 20 people with ADHD to the rest of the group. The group with ADHD scored higher on the questionnaire about sensitivity than the people without ADHD.
We are currently working on a large study comparing people with and without ADHD on a long list of traits, including sensitivity. This research will help us gain deeper insight into the unique characteristics and challenges associated with ADHD and high sensitivity, and how they affect each other.
About the Authors
Lessa Schippers is a PhD candidate at the department of Psychiatry at the Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Her research focusses on positive aspects of ADHD.
Prof. Dr. Corina Greven is a psychologist and Chair in Environmental Sensitivity in Health at Radboud university medical center. Her research focuses on fundamental differences in sensitivity to environmental stimuli.
References
- Greven, C. U., Lionetti, F., Booth, C., Aron, E. N., Fox, E., Schendan, H. E., Pluess, M., Bruining, H., Acevedo, B., Bijttebier, P., & Homberg, J. (2019). Sensory Processing Sensitivity in the context of Environmental Sensitivity: A critical review and development of research agenda. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 98, 287-305. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763418306250
- Schippers, L. M., Greven, C. U., & Hoogman, M. (2024). Associations between ADHD traits and self-reported strengths in the general population. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 130, 152461. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38335571/
- Schippers, L. M., Horstman, L. I., van de Velde, H., Pereira, R. R., Zinkstok, J., Mostert, J. C., Greven, C. U., & Hoogman, M. (2022). A qualitative and quantitative study of self-reported positive characteristics of individuals with ADHD. Front Psychiatry, 13, 922788. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.922788