title: Peer Rejection as a Social Antecedent to Rejection Sensitivity in Youth: The Role of Relational Valuation.
abstract: Although much is known about the consequences of rejection sensitivity (RS), less is known about its social antecedents, particularly during development. Despite research demonstrating the role of peer rejection in the development and maintenance of problematic social schema like RS, little is known about why some youth are more susceptible to these negative consequences than others. We examined how relational valuation might moderate the effects of peer rejection on RS in a sample of 294 youth (138 boys) who made the transition from middle to high school. Results from path analysis revealed that 8thgrade peer rejection was most highly associated with 9thgrade RS for youth who held high regard for social relationships. Findings demonstrate the importance of examining cognitive moderators in the links between negative social experiences and problematic social schema, and highlight the need to move beyond simple main effects models for understanding the heterogeneity of rejection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, United States.
authors.forename: Kristina L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States.
authors.forename: Kenneth H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, United States.
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Laursen
keywords: Adolescents; Cognitive Dissonance; Interpersonal Relations; Peer Rejection; Rejection Sensitivity; Relational Valuation