Environmental sensitivity and psychosocial characteristics in junior high school students with school refusal

Objective: Environmental sensitivity is a temperamental trait characterized by heightened responsiveness to environmental stimuli. Although individual differences in sensitivity have been associated with psychological adjustment, their role in school refusal (SR) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the environmental sensitivity of junior high school students with SR experience, as well as its relationship with stress responses and interpersonal sensitivity. Methods: Sixteen students with SR experience and seventeen students with regular attendance (RA), along with their parents, participated in the study. Students completed the Japanese version of the Highly Sensitive Child Scale for Adolescence (J-HSCS), the Children's Stress Response scale (CSR), and the Short Forms of the Children's Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (CISM). Parents also completed the J-HSCS as a proxy measure of their child's environmental sensitivity. Results: The SR group showed higher overall mean J-HSCS scores, particularly in the Low Sensory Threshold and Ease of Excitation subscales, as well as in stress responses and negative interpersonal sensitivity. Correlational analyses revealed associations among environmental sensitivity, stress responses, and interpersonal sensitivity. Moreover, there were positive correlations between student and parent ratings on several J-HSCS items, suggesting parental recognition of their child's sensitivity regardless of SR status. Given the exploratory nature of the analyses, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. Conclusion: These findings suggest that higher environmental sensitivity may be associated with the psychological and social difficulties observed in students with SR. Individualized support strategies that acknowledge the dual nature of sensitivity-for better and for worse-may help inform prevention and intervention efforts for SR.