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Environmental factors may play a role in how the personality trait sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) relates to different health-related outcomes. To better understand vulnerability and resilience in different environments, we investigated associations of SPS with stress-related and neurodevelopmental disorder traits, well-being, and somatic health in a population-based sample of 252 adults. We then tested SPS interactions with lifetime or current measures of positive or negative environments. Overall, higher SPS related to more burnout, anxiety, depression, stress, health complaints and nonprescription medication use, but not to neurodevelopmental disorder traits. Associations with burnout, anxiety, and health complaints remained after controlling for neuroticism. In unfavorable environments, higher SPS related to worse health while, in favorable environments, it related to better health, supporting the theory of SPS as a factor for differential susceptibility to environments. Our work demonstrates that SPS may be a risk factor for stress-related and somatic symptoms, independent of neuroticism.

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