Rejection sensitivity and the development of social anxiety symptoms during adolescence: A five-year longitudinal study

Abstract

Rejection sensitivity is a bias toward expecting rejection that can result from negative social experiences and degrade emotional adjustment. In this study, rejection sensitivity was expected to predict patterns of adolescent social anxiety over 5 years when considered alongside other known or expected risk and protective factors: peer rejection (peer-reported), emotion dysregulation, self-worth, temperament (parent-reported), female gender, and grade. Participants were 377 Australian students (45% boys; 79% White, 15% Asian) aged 10 to 13 years ( M = 12.0, SD = .90) and their parents (84%) who completed seven repeated surveys across 5 years. In an unconditional latent growth model, social anxiety symptoms had a significant quadratic pattern of growth, with symptoms increasing about midway into the study when adolescents were age 14, on average. In a model with all predictors, rejection sensitivity was uniquely associated with a higher intercept and a more pronounced quadratic growth pattern of social anxiety symptoms. Other predictors of growth in symptoms were the temperamental trait of negativity affectivity and emotion dysregulation; negative affectivity was associated with a higher intercept and a more pronounced quadratic pattern, and emotion dysregulation was associated with a higher intercept and a less pronounced quadratic pattern. Gender was associated with the intercept, with girls higher in symptoms than boys.

The long arm of rejection sensitivity and young adults' romantic relationships: An extension and a replication

“…Zimmer‐Gembeck et al (2021) followed adolescents for 5 years, examining the long‐term effects of higher RS. They found that adolescents highest in RS reported the highest level of social anxiety symptoms at 5 years.…”

The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Brain Networks in Response to Social Evaluation Tasks

“…Therefore, neurophysiological responses followed by social rejection motivated us to adjust our social networks [ 10 ]. Because hyperarousal to negative feedback is harmful and related to several emotional disorders [ 26 ], participants may avoid engaging in social activities to prevent potential harm in a social situation.…”

Psychosocial Mechanisms of Methamphetamine Use Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: An Integrated Theoretical Approach

“…Therefore, future research is needed to examine the role of rejection sensitivity as well as mental health conditions thought to be related to it (J. M. Cohen et al, 2016;Pachankis et al, 2008Pachankis et al, , 2015. Social anxiety may be particularly important given recent evidence suggesting that rejection sensitivity plays a causal role in the development of social anxiety (Zimmer-Gembeck et al, 2021). Further underscoring the potential importance of social anxiety in predicting methamphetamine use is research showing that rates of social anxiety are elevated among GBM; its etiology in experiences of bullying, alienation, and parental rejection; and its association with substance use and sexual risk behaviours among GBM (Bostwick et al, 2010;Hart et al, 2008Hart et al, , 2020Hart & Heimberg, 2005).…”