EXPLAINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SENSORY PROCESSING SENSITIVITY AND ALEXITHYMIA THROUGH ATTACHMENT STYLES

High Sensory Processing Sensitivity (HSPS) affects around 30% of people (Lionetti et al., 2018).It involves an increased reactivity to environmental stimuli.HSPS increases alexithymia (Bordarie et al., 2024) which corresponds to difficulties in identifying and describing emotions (Sifneos, 1995).Both contribute to an increase in psychopathological symptoms such as stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms (e.g., (Radetzki et al., 2021).This is particularly true during adolescence, a transformative period that makes individuals more vulnerable to mental health problems (Essau & De La Torre-Luque, 2019) and during which the social environment has a significant impact (Bathelt et al., 2021).For example, attachment styles -secure, preoccupied, dismissive or fearful -influence the ability to interpret and respond to emotional and social cues throughout life (Wilkinson & Walford, 2001).We tested two hypotheses: (1) HSPS will negatively influence both alexithymia and attachment styles; and (2) secure and fearful attachment styles will mediate the relationship between HSPS and alexithymia.The sample (n=148) consisted of 75.68% females (n=112) and 24.32% males (n=36) aged between 15 and 25 years.The mean age was 18.42 years old (SD=3.01).Regarding their status, 60.14% (n=89) were in high school, 29.05% (n=43) were in university and 10.81% (n=16) had a job.They anonymously completed an online questionnaire assessing high sensory processing sensitivity (HSPS-FR), alexithymia (TAS-20) and attachment styles (RSQ).Statistical analyses including correlations, linear regressions, and mediation models were performed with JASP (version 0.19.3) and Jamovi (version 2.6.17.0).Results showed that HSPS influenced fearful attachment style (=.3400; p<.001) and secure attachment style (=-.2396;p=.003) but not alexithymia which was influenced by fearful (=.2891; p<.001) and secure (=-.2812;p<.001) attachment styles.Both mediate the relationship between HSPS and alexithymia.This study is not in line with the literature that reports the influence of HSPS on alexithymia (Jerome & Liss, 2005).However, we confirmed the vulnerabilising effect of HSPS on alexithymia through the negative impact of fearful attachment style and the protective effect of secure, which mitigates the negative impact of HSPS.The discussion will underscore the importance of fostering secure attachment and emotional regulation strategies during adolescence.Limitations will be mentioned, such as the cross-sectional design, which precludes causal inferences, and potential biases in alexithymia prevalence.Future research should examine longitudinal effects and the role of psychological resources and coping mechanisms.