The effects of rejection sensitivity on reactive and proactive aggression

Rejection Sensitivity and Reactive Aggression in Early Adults: The Mediating Role of Loneliness and Maladaptive Coping

Reactive aggression is an aggressive response to a perceived threat or provocation. It has detrimental effects on individuals and society. Rejection sensitivity, a disposition that one tends to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and intensely react to social rejection, has been associated with reactive aggression. Considering that the mechanism underlying this link remains unclear, this study explores the mediating role of loneliness and maladaptive coping. Participants included 1104 early adults between the ages of 17-23 (Mage = 20.35, SD = 1.11, 33.6% men) in China who completed the Chinese version of the Tendency to Expect Rejection Scale, Loneliness Scale, Ways of Coping Questionnaire, and Reactive-Active Aggression Questionnaire. The serial mediation model revealed that loneliness and maladaptive coping independently mediated the association of rejection sensitivity with reactive aggression. More importantly, the chain mediating effect of "loneliness-maladaptive coping" also accounted for this link. The above findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationships among these factors and suggested that rejection sensitivity could positively be related to reactive aggression through loneliness and maladaptive coping.

Is teacher preference associated with aggressive behavior among Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of peer rejection and rejection sensitivity

Few studies have explored the potential impact of teacher preferences on students' peer relationships and their broader psycho-behavioral growth from the perspective of classroom peer ecology. To remedy this research gap, this study hypothesized and tested a serial mediation model in which teacher preference is related to adolescents' aggressive behavior via the indirect paths of forming peer rejection and shaping rejection sensitivity. Using a longitudinal design, two-wave data were obtained from 2270 Chinese adolescents (initial age = 13.93 ± 0.59, 50.7% boys) over 6 months. The results revealed that teacher preference was negatively associated with aggressive behavior in adolescents, and the mediation model indicated peer rejection and rejection sensitivity served as serial mediators between this link. Additionally, the current study examined the unique affiliations of anxiety and anger about rejection with aggressive behavior respectively, with results supporting them as distinct constructs and highlighting the significance of research integrating both forms of rejection sensitivity. Differences were also identified regarding the role of anxious rejection sensitivity in predicting proactive and reactive aggressive behaviors. The educational implications of these findings and directions for forthcoming research were discussed.

A boost in self-esteem after positive social evaluation predicts social and non-social learning

Fluctuations in self-esteem resulting from social acceptance and rejection could guide social behaviour by putting us in a state that is more or less open to social experiences. However, it remains unclear whether social acceptance and rejection may shape learning from social information depending on individual differences in self-esteem changes. Here we used a social feedback paradigm to manipulate social acceptance and rejection in a between-subjects design. Subsequently, we administered a behavioural task that enables the assessment of how well individuals learn on the basis of own experiences versus social information. Participants receiving positive (N = 43) versus negative (N = 44) social evaluation demonstrated an increase in subjective self-esteem. Importantly, the effect of the social evaluation on social learning was moderated by self-esteem changes. Specifically, an increase in self-esteem, as induced by positive evaluation, was associated with increased learning from social, but decreased learning from individual information. A decrease in self-esteem in response to negative evaluation was associated with decreased learning from individual information. These data suggest that increases in self-esteem in response to positive evaluation can induce a shift in the inclination to use social versus non-social information and may open one up to constructive learning from others.

Childhood psychological abuse and relational aggression among adolescents: A moderated chain mediation model

Introduction

Adolescents are in a period when a marked upward trend of adolescents relational aggression. Even though previous studies have found that childhood psychological abuse experience is an important factor influencing adolescent relational aggression, it is unclear when and under what circumstances childhood psychological abuse impacts adolescent relational aggression. This study constructed a moderated chain mediation model to investigate the influence of childhood psychological abuse on relational aggression among Chinese adolescents and its internal mechanism.

Methods

Data from 1868 (923 male and 945 female, M = 14.31, SD = 1.60) Chinese adolescents in two full-time middle schools in Guangzhou were collected via a cross-sectional survey in 2020. Adolescents reported on childhood psychological abuse, relational aggression, rejection sensitivity relational victimization and cognitive reappraisal.

Results

The results demonstrated that: (1) childhood psychological abuse was significantly positively related to relational aggression; (2) childhood psychological abuse was significantly linked with adolescents' relational aggression through the separate mediating effects of rejection sensitivity and relational victimization, as well as through the chain mediating effects of rejection sensitivity and relational victimization; (3) the chain mediated effect of childhood psychological abuse on relational aggression through rejection sensitivity and relational victimization was moderated by cognitive reappraisal.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that childhood psychological abuse, as a kind of poor parenting style, has influence on adolescents' internal personality (rejection sensitivity) and external behavior development (relational victimization and relational aggression). This study is helpful to demonstrate the protective effect of cognitive reappraisal and reveal the internal mechanism of childhood psychological abuse on relational aggression.

Antecedents of problematic social media use and cyberbullying among adolescents: attachment, the dark triad and rejection sensitivity

With the acceleration of internet use, problematic social media use (PSMU) is included in our lives. When looking at the antecedents of PSMU, being young has been found to be a risk factor for PSMU. In addition to the benefits of technological advances in education and training, rapid technological developments may also result in problematic behaviors, especially among children and young. Recently, possibilities brought by technology and more widespread use of technology by young people have created a new concept, namely, cyberbullying. The present study aims to examine the effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on PSMU and cyberbullying as with the partial mediating effects of the Dark Triad personality traits, angry rejection sensitivity, and anxious rejection sensitivity among adolescents. In general, the findings supported the proposed theoretical model. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications along with suggestions for future research.

Functions of Aggression and Peer Likeability in Elementary School Children Across Time

We examined associations between proactive and reactive aggression and peer likability across two academic years. Analyses were based on a sample of 442 elementary school children. Proactive and reactive aggression were assessed through self-report and peer likability was assessed via a peer nomination inventory. Data were collected in the fall and spring of two academic years. Findings from cross-lagged multiple group longitudinal panel models where pathways were freely estimated for boys and girls provided evidence that the relation between reactive aggression and reciprocated liking and received only liking nominations was negative and transactional for girls. Proactive aggression had mixed associations with likability between boys and girls. Our findings suggest that preventative interventions that focus on reducing reactive aggression or increasing peer likability have the potential to shift children away from trajectories of long-term maladjustment.

Associations Between Rejection Sensitivity, Aggression, and Victimization: A Meta-Analytic Review

BACKGROUND

Rejection sensitivity (RS) is a personality disposition characterized by oversensitivity to social rejection; individuals who are sensitive to social rejection tend to anxiously or angrily expect, readily perceive, and overreact to it. The associations between (a) RS and aggression and (b) RS and victimization have been studied in recent years. However, the strength of these associations varied considerably between studies. This review aimed to synthesize the primary literature to improve our insight into these associations.

METHOD

A comprehensive literature search yielded 52 studies (with a total of 66,405 participants and producing 203 effect sizes) on the RS-aggression and RS-victimization associations. Three-level meta-analytic models were used to synthesize effect sizes and to examine potential moderators of the RS-aggression association and the RS-victimization association, respectively.

RESULTS

There was a small but significant association between RS and aggression (pooled r = .183; p < .001) and a slightly below moderate and significant association between RS and victimization (pooled r = .298; p < .001). The RS-aggression association was stronger for angry RS than for anxious RS and stronger for reactive aggression than for proactive aggression. Similar results were obtained in analyzing the longitudinal associations only.

CONCLUSIONS

RS is significantly associated with aggression and victimization. The implications of the results for clinical practice as well as directions for future research are discussed.

The role of therapeutic alliance in therapy for adults with problematic aggression and associated disorders

The nature and quality of the relationship between therapist and client in psychotherapy, known as therapeutic alliance, have been proposed as one of the most important factors for successful treatment outcome, which has been has robustly supported across many types of treatment, populations, raters of alliance (i.e., client, therapist, or observer), and alliance measures. However, most research on alliance and treatment outcome has been conducted in children and adults with internalizing problems (e.g., mood and anxiety disorders) or children with externalizing problems (e.g., conduct disorder), despite the fact that alliance may be particularly important for adults with externalizing problems such as problematic aggression, who may have high levels of resistance, blaming, and interpersonal problems. Very limited research has examined the role of alliance in individuals who present to treatment due to high levels of aggressive behaviour specifically (e.g., those convicted of a violent offence). The current systematic review examined the extant research on the relationship between alliance and outcome in treatment of highly aggressive individuals, as well as those who are diagnosed with a disorder for which aggression is a primary symptom (i.e., post-traumatic stress disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder). Overall, it was shown that alliance has a positive impact on treatment outcome among those engaging in or at risk for problematic aggression. Additionally, the alliance-outcome relationship may be affected by therapy modality, alliance rater perspective, and potential mechanisms of alliance. Implications for future research, including utilizing more primarily aggressive samples, are discussed.

Cognitive and Emotional Components of Rejection Sensitivity: Independent Contributions to Adolescent Self- and Interpersonal Functioning

In this article, we focus on rejection sensitivity (RS) in adolescents. Although the RS model distinguishes clearly between the emotional (i.e., anger and anxiety) and the cognitive (i.e., expectation of rejection) components, research has rarely examined their unique connection with psychological problems. We argue that considering the three components separately would provide additional insights regarding the relationship between RS and psychological problems. We aimed to test the goodness of fit of a three-factor solution and to investigate the validity of the three components separately in predicting self- and interpersonal functioning in adolescents. Indeed, 720 adolescents completed the Children’s Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, self-reports of self- and interpersonal functioning (self-esteem and interpersonal reactivity), and peer ratings of preference and bothersomeness. The three-factor solution showed fit indexes comparable to the two alternative one-factor solutions underlying the traditional approach of the composite scores. More importantly, we found specific contributions of each of the three RS components in predicting different features of self- and interpersonal functioning. Thus, depending on the psychological problems under consideration, the role of the three RS components varies. We discuss the implications of these findings.

Pass it on? The neural responses to rejection in the context of a family study on maltreatment

Rejection by parents is an important aspect of child maltreatment. Altered neural responses to social rejection have been observed in maltreated individuals. The current study is the first to examine the impact of experienced and perpetrated abuse and neglect on neural responses to social exclusion by strangers versus family using a multigenerational family design, including 144 participants. The role of neural reactivity to social exclusion in the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment was also examined. Exclusion by strangers was especially associated with increased activation in the left insula, while exclusion by a family member was mainly associated with increased activation in the ACC. Neural reactivity to social exclusion by strangers in the insula, ACC and dmPFC, was associated with experienced maltreatment but not with perpetrated maltreatment. In abusive parents, altered neural reactivity during exclusion was found in other brain areas, indicating different neural correlates of experienced and perpetrated maltreatment. Hence, no mechanisms could be identified that are involved in the transmission of maltreatment. Hypersensitivity to social rejection by strangers in neglected individuals underscores the importance to distinguish between effects of abuse and neglect and suggests that the impact of experiencing rejection and maltreatment by your own parents extends beyond the family context.

Links of justice and rejection sensitivity with aggression in childhood and adolescence

Individual differences in justice sensitivity and rejection sensitivity have been linked to differences in aggressive behavior in adults. However, there is little research studying this association in children and adolescents and considering the two constructs in combination. We assessed justice sensitivity from the victim, observer, and perpetrator perspective as well as anxious and angry rejection sensitivity and linked both constructs to different forms (physical, relational), and functions (proactive, reactive) of self-reported aggression and to teacher- and parent-rated aggression in N = 1,489 9- to 19-year olds in Germany. Victim sensitivity and both angry and anxious rejection sensitivity showed positive correlations with all forms and functions of aggression. Angry rejection sensitivity also correlated positively with teacher-rated aggression. Perpetrator sensitivity was negatively correlated with all aggression measures, and observer sensitivity also correlated negatively with all aggression measures except for a positive correlation with reactive aggression. Path models considering the sensitivity facets in combination and controlling for age and gender showed that higher victim justice sensitivity predicted higher aggression on all measures. Higher perpetrator sensitivity predicted lower physical, relational, proactive, and reactive aggression. Higher observer sensitivity predicted lower teacher-rated aggression. Angry rejection sensitivity predicted higher proactive and reactive aggression, whereas anxious rejection sensitivity did not make an additional contribution to the prediction of aggression. The findings are discussed in terms of social information processing models of aggression in childhood and adolescence.

Laughter as a social rejection cue: gelotophobia and transient cardiac responses to other persons' laughter and insult

Other persons' laughter, normally perceived as a signal that persons are friendly and inviting others to approach, can also be perceived as a cue of social rejection. In this study, prerecorded laughter was placed in a realistic and personally relevant context, and participants' responses were related to gelotophobia, a trait predisposing to perceiving laughter as a cue of social rejection. Individuals with gelotophobia showed marked heart rate deceleration in response to the laughter stimulus, possibly indicating a "freezing-like" response. Moreover, cardiac responses to anger provocation by overtly insulting statements indicated heightened aggressive anger in response to cumulated social threat. The study adds to recent research showing specific cardiac responses to social rejection and to the literature on social rejection sensitivity by demonstrating the value of using well interpretable physiological measures in this research context.