About ASSMA
High Sensitivity and Mental Health in Adolescents.
ASSMA is a research project focused on the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and mental health in school-aged adolescents, with particular attention to the risk and protective factors that influence wellbeing during this stage.
What it is and why it matters
Adolescence is a particularly sensitive stage for emotional wellbeing. Many mental health difficulties emerge before the age of 14 and are often not detected in time or properly understood in relation to school, family and personal context.
ASSMA starts from the premise that sensory processing sensitivity is not a disorder, but a trait that may be associated with greater vulnerability or greater responsiveness to support depending on the environment. The project seeks specific evidence in Spanish adolescent populations to better understand that relationship.
Essentials
- It analyses the relationship between sensitivity, mental health and context in adolescence.
- It relies on schools as the main setting for implementation.
- It aims to inform prevention, early support and future evidence-based recommendations.
A school's participation requires prior coordination, information for families and the corresponding authorisations.
What ASSMA studies
The project brings together the perspective on the trait of sensitivity with mental health indicators and contextual variables that are relevant in adolescent life.
Sensitivity
How sensory processing sensitivity is distributed and which profiles appear in the sample.
Mental health
Indicators of wellbeing, emotional distress and other factors linked to adolescence.
Context
The influence of family climate, school adjustment, self-concept and other risk and protective variables.
Development
Differences across educational stages and developmental nuances within adolescence.
Methodology at a high level
ASSMA is conceived as a national study with school-aged adolescents. Planned participation covers public, state-subsidised and private schools in order to gather a broad and diverse sample.
- Target population: students from Year 6 of Primary to Year 4 of Secondary.
- Expected sample: up to 6,000 participants.
- Data collection through several short sessions in the educational centre.
How it is carried out in practice
An approach that fits the school context, with a clear structure and compatibility with school coordination.
Preparation
Coordination with school leadership, educational teams and counselling staff, together with family information and the management of authorisations.
Delivery in short sessions
The work plan envisages several short sessions, with a reference of four sessions of around 30 minutes.
Results analysis
Patterns in the relationship between sensitivity, mental health and contexts of risk and protection are examined.
Feedback and transfer
Public feedback is framed in aggregated terms and oriented towards improving knowledge and educational practice.
Expected value
ASSMA's public interest lies in generating useful evidence to better understand adolescence and to inform educational and preventive decisions on a stronger empirical basis.
Educational centres
A better understanding of risk and protective factors, and a stronger basis for educational guidance and prevention.
Families and professionals
A clearer and less stigmatising language for discussing sensitivity and emotional wellbeing in adolescence.
Research and collaboration
Data and learning that can support future research, materials and institutional collaboration.
Ethics, privacy and data care
Given the population involved and the type of information handled, ASSMA is designed with the prudence expected of a research project involving minors and with specific attention to confidentiality.
Informed participation
Participation requires information for families, parental authorisation where applicable and the minor's consent.
Confidential handling
Information handling is planned with restricted team access and public use of results only in aggregated form.
Ethical framework
The project takes as reference research with human participants, the GDPR and the applicable Spanish legal framework.
Risk cases
Project documentation provides for coordination with the school and specific action when indicators appear that require the protection of the minor.
Technical basis of the deployment
The platform relies on European cloud infrastructure and on security measures, access controls and backups consistent with the project's sensitivity.
Current technical documentation places the deployment on OVHcloud and references provider frameworks and certifications such as ISO 27001, 27017, 27018 and 27701, together with GDPR compliance in the European environment.
This mention describes the technical basis of the hosting and should not be read as a commercial promise or as a certification belonging to the project itself.
Research team
The project brings together academic profiles and collaborators linked to psychology, education and digital environment development.
Collaborating organisations
Universities and organisations linked to the project and its deployment.
Logos are used for identification purposes only.
Contact and collaboration
If you would like to assess a school's participation, request information or explore a possible collaboration, you can write directly to the project team.