Bidirectional Relationships Between Parenting Styles and Preschoolers’ Sensory Processing Sensitivity

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2026 Apr 21. doi: 10.1007/s10578-026-02015-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study explored the bidirectional relationship between parenting styles and three specific dimensions of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS; i.e., low sensory threshold, LST; ease of excitation, EOE; and aesthetic sensitivity, AES) in preschoolers using a cross-lagged panel model with one-year intervals. The Chinese versions of the Parenting Style and Dimension Questionnaire (PSDQ-C) and the Highly Sensitive Child Scale (HSC-C) were administered to primary caregivers of 448 Chinese preschoolers (M_age = 4.62, SD = 0.60 at T1) to assess parenting styles and preschoolers’ SPS. The results indicated that authoritative parenting at T1 significantly predicted preschoolers’ AES and LST at T2; however, its influence on preschoolers’ EOE was not significant. Conversely, EOE at T1 negatively predicted authoritative parenting at T2, but preschoolers’ AES and LST at T1 did not significantly predict authoritative parenting at T2. Additionally, authoritarian parenting was not found to be longitudinally related to specific dimensions of SPS. The findings highlight the reciprocal influences between different SPS dimensions and family environments in early childhood.

PMID:42010220 | DOI:10.1007/s10578-026-02015-5