The moderating role of rejection sensitivity in the relationship between emotional maltreatment and borderline symptoms
Open accessAbstract
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is theorized to develop from a combination of dispositional and environmental risk factors. Among these risk factors, both childhood emotional neglect and abuse (ENA) and rejection sensitivity (RS) have been independently associated with BPD symptomatology. However, to our knowledge, no studies have examined the interaction between these variables as they relate to BPD symptoms. In the current study, greater ENA and RS were independently associated with more BPD symptoms in a sample of undergraduate students (n=133). In addition, there was an interaction such that RS was more strongly correlated with BPD symptoms at moderate and low levels of ENA. Our findings suggest dispositional and environmental factors combine to instantiate BPD symptoms and thus suggest RS and ENA merit investigation in clinical samples.
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One study reported no significant relationship between physical abuse and rejection sensitivity in a non-clinical population.
“However, one study reported no significant relationship between physical abuse and RS in a non-clinical population (Goodman et al., 2014) and another reported no significant relationship between physical abuse or neglect in a mixed population (Masland, 2018).”
From The link between rejection sensitivity and borderline personality disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as Goodman et al., 2014
The Results say that correlations between rejection sensitivity and physical abuse are presented in Table 2, and Limitations & Future Directions identifies the participants as a nonclinical college sample. The available passages do not give the physical-abuse/rejection-sensitivity correlation or its significance, so they do not establish the claimed nonsignificant relationship. (LLM, conf=0.72)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOne study found the association to be higher in individuals who report lower than average emotional neglect.
“Finally, one study found the association to be higher in individuals who report lower than average emotional neglect (Goodman, Fertuck, Chesin, Lichenstein, & Stanley, 2014).”
From The link between rejection sensitivity and borderline personality disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as Goodman, Fertuck, Chesin, Lichenstein, & Stanley, 2014
The Discussion reports a stronger association between rejection sensitivity and borderline symptoms among people reporting less than average childhood emotional neglect and abuse (ENA). The citing sentence says emotional neglect alone, but the study measured ENA as a combined abuse-and-neglect score, not neglect separately. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredEAN may represent a stronger predictive factor than RS.
“Accordingly, EAN may represent a stronger predictive factor than RS (Goodman et al., 2014).”
From The link between rejection sensitivity and borderline personality disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as Goodman et al., 2014
In Limitations & Future Directions, the paper raises the possibility that ENA is a more potent risk factor than RS when ENA is severe, but calls it an open question. The citing sentence omits that severity condition and presents the possibility more generally. The paper uses “ENA”; the claim uses “EAN.” (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredFor two primary studies (Chesin et al., 2015; Goodman et al., 2014), occurrences of both emotional abuse and neglect were classified into the single category of emotional abuse, which may have influenced the results.
“Furthermore, for two primary studies (Chesin et al., 2015; Goodman et al., 2014), we classified occurrences of both emotional abuse and neglect into the single category of emotional abuse, which may have influenced the results.”
From Child Maltreatment as a Risk Factor for Rejection Sensitivity: A Three-Level Meta-Analytic Review (2024) · cites this paper as Goodman et al., 2014
The interaction between rejection sensitivity and emotional abuse and/or neglect significantly predicted Borderline Personality Disorder symptom frequency in non-clinical populations, although the latter suggested an attenuated effect for those reporting greater than average abuse.
“In contrast, two studies measuring EAN in isolation report the interaction between RS and EAN significantly predicted BPD diagnosis in clinical populations (Chesin et al., 2015), and BPD symptom frequency in non-clinical populations (Goodman et al., 2014), although the latter suggested an attenuated effect for those reporting greater than average abuse.”
From The link between rejection sensitivity and borderline personality disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as Goodman et al., 2014
Three studies indicated physical neglect correlated significantly with rejection sensitivity.
“Five studies indicated physical abuse significantly correlated with RS (Bungert, Liebke, et al., 2015;Erozkan, 2015;Feldman & Downey, 1994;Hernandez, Trout, & Liu, 2016;Kahya, 2018) and three studies indicated physical neglect correlated significantly (Bungert, Liebke, et al., 2015;Goodman et al., 2014;Kahya, 2018).”
From The link between rejection sensitivity and borderline personality disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as Goodman et al., 2014
The Results (page unavailable) say that correlations between rejection sensitivity and physical neglect are presented in Table 2, but the passages available from our copy do not give the correlation or its significance. Searches for the physical-neglect–RS correlation and Table 2 did not retrieve those values, so this copy cannot establish whether Goodman et al. found a significant correlation. (LLM, conf=0.69)
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“Furthermore, positive associations between BPD symptoms and RS have also been observed in non-clinical samples (Ayduk et al., 2008; Berenson, et al., 2009; Miano et al., 2013).”
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Foxhall, M., Hamilton‐Giachritsis, C., & Button, K. (2019) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjc.12216 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
Miano, A., Fertuck, E. A., Arntz, A., & Stanley, B. (2013) · Journal of Personality Disorders · doi:10.1521/pedi_2013_27_096 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Self-citationFertuck, E. A., Karan, E., & Stanley, B. (2016) · Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation · doi:10.1186/s40479-016-0036-2 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Self-citationChild Maltreatment as a Risk Factor for Rejection Sensitivity: A Three-Level Meta-Analytic Review
Gao, S., Assink, M., Bi, C., & Chan, K. L. (2024) · Trauma, Violence, & Abuse · doi:10.1177/15248380231162979 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Chesin, M., Fertuck, E., Goodman, J., Lichenstein, S., & Stanley, B. (2015) · Psychopathology · doi:10.1159/000365196 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationKahya, Y. (2021) · Journal of Interpersonal Violence · doi:10.1177/0886260518786499 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
- Authors
- Goodman, J., Fertuck, E., Chesin, M., Lichenstein, S., & Stanley, B.
- Affiliations
- New York University (US)
- New York State Psychiatric Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Chesin, Megan
- Venue
- Personality and Individual Differences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-12
- Volume
- 71
- Pages
- 146-150
- ISSN
- 0191-8869 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8570571
- OpenAlex
- W2061807445
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 3.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Personality and Individual Differences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- NIMH (R01 MH061017, MH62665)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (P20 AA015630)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Keywords
- borderline personality disorder, borderline symptoms, rejection sensitivity, emotional neglect, emotional abuse, child abuse, moderating effect, undergraduate students
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