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Interactions Between Rejection Sensitivity and Supportive Relationships in the Prediction of Adolescents’ Internalizing Difficulties

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Abstract

Rejection sensitivity, the tendency to anxiously or angrily expect rejection, is associated with internalizing difficulties during childhood and adolescence. The primary goal of the present study was to examine whether supportive parent–child relationships and friendships moderate associations that link angry and anxious rejection sensitivity to depression and social anxiety during middle adolescence in an ethnically diverse sample of 277 youth (M age = 14.30 years; 46.93% male). Analyses revealed that angry rejection sensitivity was related to depressive symptoms, but only for adolescents reporting low support from parents and friends. Friend support moderated the association between (1) angry rejection sensitivity and social anxiety, and (2) anxious rejection sensitivity and depressive symptoms. For adolescents reporting low support from friends, support from parents was positively related to social anxiety. Findings highlight the importance of considering relationships in studies of rejection sensitivity and adjustment during adolescence.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the children, parents, and teachers who participated in the study, as well as Kathleen Dwyer, Bridget Fredstrom, Amy Kennedy Root, Sarrit Kovacs, Melissa Menzer, Wonjung Oh, and Alissa Wigdor who assisted in data collection and input. A portion of this manuscript was presented at the 2007 Society for Research in Child Development biennial meeting in Boston, MA. The research reported in this manuscript was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grant # MH58116 to Kenneth H. Rubin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, 3304 Benjamin Building, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Kristina L. McDonald, Kenneth H. Rubin & Melissa S. Duchene

  2. Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Julie C. Bowker

  3. Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

    Brett Laursen

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  1. Kristina L. McDonald
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Correspondence to Kristina L. McDonald.

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McDonald, K.L., Bowker, J.C., Rubin, K.H. et al. Interactions Between Rejection Sensitivity and Supportive Relationships in the Prediction of Adolescents’ Internalizing Difficulties. J Youth Adolescence 39, 563–574 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9519-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9519-4

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