The DOI matches its Crossref record; 52 of the 52 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Rejection Sensitivity and Children's Interpersonal Difficulties
Abstract
Some children respond to social rejection in ways that undermine their relationships, whereas others respond with more equanimity. This article reports 3 studies that test the proposition that rejection sensitivity—the disposition to defensively (i.e., anxiously or angrily) expect, readily perceive, and overreact to social rejection—helps explain individual differences in response to social rejection. Data were from urban, minority (primarily Hispanic and African American) fifth to seventh graders. Study 1 describes the development of a measure of rejection sensitivity for children. Study 2 provides experimental evidence that children who angrily expected rejection showed heightened distress following an ambiguously intentioned rejection by a peer. Study 3 shows that rejection sensitive children behaved more aggressively and experienced increased interpersonal difficulties and declines in academic functioning over time.
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“Feelings of rejection and disappointment, in turn, may lead to a host of negative emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes (Downey et al., 1998).”
From The Test of Time: Predictors and Effects of Duration in Youth Mentoring Relationships (2002) · cites this paper as Downey et al., 1998
In the citing paper
“When such adolescents encounter cues that relationships will not proceed, however minimal or ambiguous, they may readily perceive intentional rejection from their mentors (Downey & Feldman, 1996;Downey, Lebolt, Rincon, & Freitas, 1998).”
From The Test of Time: Predictors and Effects of Duration in Youth Mentoring Relationships (2002) · cites this paper as Downey, Lebolt, Rincon, & Freitas, 1998
In the citing paper
“The findings regarding early terminations are consistent with previous work which has demonstrated the particular vulnerabilities of youth to relationship disruption (Downey et al., 1998).”
From The Test of Time: Predictors and Effects of Duration in Youth Mentoring Relationships (2002) · cites this paper as Downey et al., 1998
In the citing paper
“The measurement was developed and validated in a sample of fifth to seventh graders [167].”
From Efficacy of a transdiagnostic Internet prevention approach in adolescents (EMPATIA study): study protocol of a randomized controlled trial (2024) · cites this paper as [167]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Downey, G., Lebolt, A., Rincón, C., & Freitas, A. L.
- Affiliations
- Columbia University (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Downey, Geraldine
- ORCID
- Downey, Geraldine
- Venue
- Child Development
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1998-08-01
- Volume
- 69
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1074-1091
- ISSN
- 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8624
- OpenAlex
- W1992292172
- Cited by
- 417
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 15
- FWCI
- 4.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Child Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation
- Yale University
- National Institutes of Health (1r29mh051113-01)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R29-MH51113)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- rejection sensitivity, social rejection, children, interpersonal problems, anger, defensive responding, peer rejection, aggression, academic functioning, individual differences, measurement development, Hispanic children, African American children
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Aggression, Anger, Anxiety, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Projective Techniques, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Reference Values, Rejection, Psychology, Self-Assessment, Social Adjustment, Social Perception, Statistics as Topic, Urban Health, Reproducibility of Results, Expressed Emotion
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