Predictive Effect Of High Sensitivity On Perceived Stress In Health Care Professionals: Resilience As Mediator

Abstract: Previous studies indicated a possible role of high sensitivity in perceived stress in healthcare professionals. Some studies found resilience to be of particular interest in the relationship between high sensitivity and perceived stress. The present study aimed to examine the effect of high sensitivity on perceived stress with a particular focus on the mediating role of resilience. The study recruited a sample of 400 highly sensitive healthcare professionals from different public and private sector healthcare facilities of South Punjab by using the purposive sampling technique. Those healthcare professionals completed the Urdu versions of three scales including the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (α=.93), Perceived Stress Scale-10 (α=.83), and Brief Resilience Scale (α=.95). All the participants signed the written informed consent before taking part in the study. The results found significant correlations among high sensitivity, perceived stress, and resilience. The high sensitivity was found to be positively correlated with perceived stress (r=.40) whereas both high sensitivity (r=-.37) and perceived stress (r=-.13) were found to be negatively correlated with resilience. The regression analysis found the high sensitivity to be a significant predictor of stress with p<.01. Moreover, the stepwise method of mediation analysis found the complete mediated role of resilience (LL=-.02, UL=-.04) in the relationship between high sensitivity and perceived stress. The present study significantly established the crucial role of resilience in the experience of perceived stress in healthcare professionals and recommended practitioners to develop strategies for building resilience so healthcare professionals can improve mental health and function effectively especially if they are highly sensitive. Keywords: Healthcare, Sensitivity, Stress, Resilience, Professionals