AUTHOR=May-Benson Teresa A. , Teasdale Alison , Easterbrooks-Dick Olivia 

TITLE=Relationship Between Childhood Sensory Processing Differences and Quality of Life as Adults

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.886833

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.886833

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>Research suggests a relationship between sensory processing, motor skills and quality of life (QOL) in a variety of clinical populations of adults and children. There have been no studies which investigated the relationship of childhood sensory processing and integration and related motor performance (sensori-motor) patterns identified using an Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI) frame of reference and later QOL of those children as adults. This longitudinal follow-up study examined this relationship. Adult QOL was also examined in relation to current adult sensori-motor patterns. Fifty-three adults who received occupational therapy services as children, were identified as having sensori-motor difficulties at that time and completed a sensory history and a quality-of-life measure as adults participated. Measures included the <italic>OTA the Koomar Center Sensory History (SXHX</italic>), <italic>Adult/Adolescent Sensory History (ASH), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief</italic> (<italic>WHOQOL-BREF</italic>). MANCOVA found that Total childhood sensori-motor scores had a small relationship to Physical Health QOL as adults that approached significance. Pearson Correlations found that adults with childhood sensori-motor challenges who report sensori-motor challenges as adults had a moderate significant relationship among overall sensori-motor functioning and Physical Health (<italic>r</italic> = −0.56, <italic>p</italic> = 0.018). Visual (<italic>r</italic> = −0.76, <italic>p</italic> = 0.001), movement (vestibular; <italic>r</italic> = −0.48, <italic>p</italic> = 0.042) and tactile processing (<italic>r</italic> = −0.63, <italic>p</italic> = 0.008) had moderate to large significant relationships with Physical Health. Visual processing (<italic>r = −0.54, p = 0.024</italic>) was also significantly related to Psychological Health. Motor Coordination trended to significance for Physical Health (<italic>r</italic> = −0.42) and Psychological Health (<italic>r</italic> = −0.41). Conversely, adults who reported typical sensori-motor scores as adults, despite childhood sensori-motor challenges, had a good QOL. Furthermore, similar to previous research, there was a relationship between current visual, movement (vestibular) and tactile (touch) sensory processing and adult Physical and Psychological Health. A multivariate linear regression found Sensory Discrimination and Modulation accounted for one-quarter of the variance in QOL in adults with only Discrimination being statistically significant. Therefore, it is important to consider childhood sensori-motor function as well as adult functioning when examining QOL. Further, heretofore unexamined Sensory Discrimination was found to play a role in adult QOL.</p>