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March 25, 2026Open Access

The German version of the highly sensitive child scale: Psychometric properties and identification of sensitivity groups

Key Points

This research aims to validate the German version of the Highly Sensitive Child scale and identify sensitivity groups.
Examined psychometric properties of both self-report and parent report versions of the HSC.
Used confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate factor structure and reliability.
Assessed measurement invariance across age groups with multigroup CFA.
Implemented latent profile analysis to identify sensitivity groups based on reports.
Determined the bifactorial model was the best fit for the HSC scale.
Reliability scores were acceptable, but measurement invariance across age was not confirmed.
Identified two sensitivity classes in parent reports for early, middle childhood, and adolescent groups.
Found four distinct sensitivity groups based on self-reports.

Abstract

Individuals differ in their sensitivity to external stimuli. The Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) scale can be used to measure sensitivity in children and adolescents. However, the German version has yet to be validated. We examined the psychometric properties of the German self- and the parent report version of the HSC. Measurement invariance (MI) across age groups was tested for the parent report version and latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify sensitivity groups. Pooled data from German-speaking countries (N= 250 self-reports; N= 3657 parent reports) was included. The factor structure was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability was quantified by Cronbach’s alpha (α) and MI was assessed by multigroup CFA using the optimal model. An exploratory analysis was carried out across age groups. CFA indicated the bifactorial model as the best fit for the HSC. Reliability of the total score across age groups was acceptable, but the MI was not. In the LPA, we found two sensitivity classes for early, middle childhood, and adolescent parent-reports, and four groups for self-report. The German version of the HSC seems to be a valid measurement of sensitivity. However, future research should examine age differences across childhood more closely.

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