Sensitive Personalities Tied to More Mental Health Conditions

Positive correlations seen for depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, among other conditions

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Aug. 22, 2025 (HealthDay News) — People with sensitive personalities are more prone to common mental health problems such as agoraphobia and avoidant personality disorder, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online Aug. 15 in Clinical Psychological Science.

Tom Falkenstein, from Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to identify studies examining sensitivity and mental health outcomes.

Based on 33 studies (12,697 participants), the researchers found positive correlations between sensitivity and depression, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, obsessive compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia, and social phobia (correlations ranged from r = 0.05 to r = 0.65). There was a substantial overall effect size for depression (r = 0.36) and anxiety (r = 0.39).

“It is important to remember that highly sensitive people are also more responsive to positive experiences, including psychological treatment,” coauthor Michael Pluess, Ph.D., also from Queen Mary University of London, said in a statement. “Our results provide further evidence that sensitive people are more affected by both negative and positive experiences and that the quality of their environment is particularly important for their well-being.”