[Norms of the German Version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS-G) - Self-Assessment Scale on a German-Speaking Sample]. / Normierung der deutschen Fassung der Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS-G) ­ Selbstbeurteilungsskala an einer deutschsprachigen Stichprobe.

PROBLEM: The German version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS-G) is an instrument for the assessment of sensitivity. Validity of the scale was confirmed in prior research (Konrad & Herzberg, 2017). This paper provides norm values of the HSPS-G for German-speaking countries. METHOD: To generate norms, data from 7458 participants (6251 female, 1207 male; age ranging: 14-80 years; mean=37.80; SD=11.75) were collected in an online assessment. Participants were German-speaking citizens of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. RESULTS: Analysis of variance suggested systematic gender differences in the scores. Thus, gender-specific norms were created for the subscales and the total score of the HSPS-G. The resulting norm values comprising percentiles and T-values enable comparative interpretation of the results of the HSPS-G, enabling the assessment of inter- and intraindividual differences with respect to demographic variables.

Dental Anxiety and Higher Sensory Processing Sensitivity in a Sample of German Soldiers with Inflammatory Periodontal Disease.

(1) Background: Dental anxiety with disease value usually leads to avoidance of dental treatment. For the initial diagnosis of the level of anxiety, questionnaires such as the Hierarchical Anxiety Questionnaire (HAQ) are suitable. The construct of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) describes a general trait in which people with a higher degree of SPS perceive information more strongly and process it more thoroughly. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated the relationship between dental anxiety and higher levels of SPS in 116 soldiers referred with different stages of periodontitis for mandatory dental fitness before military deployment. (3) Results: The proportion of patients with periodontitis in stage III + IV was 39% and in stage I + II was 27%. The mean cumulative values of the questionnaires were 20.9 ± 10.6 for HAQ and 27.7 ± 16.0 for SPS. Eleven moderately anxious patients had a SPS value of 37.4 ± 13.5 and 10 highly anxious patients had a value of 36.3 ± 14.1. Patients diagnosed with stage III + IV periodontitis showed significantly higher values on the SPS subscale Low Sensory Threshold (LST), which describes overstimulation by external sensory stimuli, compared to patients with stage I + II periodontitis. Dental anxiety showed moderately significant correlations with the SPS subscale Ease of Excitation (EOE), which measures emotional reactivity to physiological stimuli. (4) Conclusions: Due to the frequency of dental anxiety and higher sensitivity in patients with severe periodontitis, it is useful to record said frequency.