Rejection Sensitivity and Adult Attachment

Literature Review: Background Rejection sensitivity has been proposed as a mediator between experiences of childhood trauma and the development of attachment style, with individuals with high rejection sensitivity being more likely to develop an insecure attachment style (Feldman & Downey, 1994). However, it has not been investigated whether rejection sensitivity is differentially associated with different types of insecure and with secure attachment style. Objectives To establish the relationship between a popular measure of rejection sensitivity, the rejection sensitivity questionnaire (RSQ), and measures of adult attachment that assess secure, anxious and avoidant attachment. Method Systematic review of all literature to date using PsychInfo, Medline, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS and Proquest databases with a narrative discussion. Papers were assessed for quality using the National Institute of Health (NIH) Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies (NIH, 2014). Results Twenty-seven relevant papers were included, consisting exclusively of cross-sectional studies. 24 out of 27 studies reported a significant correlational relationship between measures of attachment and rejection sensitivity as measured by the RSQ, with greater effect sizes for anxious styles of attachment Higher ratings of insecure attachment were related to higher ratings of rejection sensitivity, whereas secure attachment was negatively associated with rejection sensitivity. 6 studies additionally examined mediation and moderation influences of attachment on rejection sensitivity on various outcomes including symptoms of eating disorders and friendship satisfaction. Conclusions Overall, there is strong evidence to suggest that rejection sensitivity is positively correlated with all insecure styles of attachment. There is also emerging evidence that it is negatively correlated with secure attachment. However, the existing research uses cross-sectional design and self-report measures of adult attachment, and no studies examined causal links between rejection sensitivity and attachment. It is therefore important for clinicians to assess and formulate the impact of rejecting parenting on psychopathology. Future reviews looking into child and adolescent populations are suggested to establish directional relationships between attachment and rejection sensitivity. Empirical Paper: Objective This researchields aimed to test the hypothesis that rejection sensitivity would moderate attachment priming following a recall of a rejection, specifically that those high on rejection sensitivity would benefit more from secure priming. Methods In an online experimental study, 167 young adults were asked to complete measures of trait rejection sensitivity and attachment, before completing a rejection task. After this, participants were randomly divided into neutral and secure attachment priming tasks. Repeated outcome measures were the state adult attachment measure (SAAM), which participants filled out before and after priming. Results Feelings of state attachment anxiety and avoidance were significantly greater following recall of a rejection than after priming. Feelings of state attachment security were significantly lower following recall of a rejection than after priming. Priming-related changes were associated with priming condition only for state attachment security and not anxiety or avoidance. Although trait variables of attachment anxiety and avoidance and rejection sensitivity were all significantly associated with medium to large effect sizes, rejection sensitivity was not associated with changes in state attachment before and after secure priming. Conclusion Despite being related to trait attachment, rejection sensitivity does not have a relationship to changes in state attachment due to secure priming following a rejection. Experiences of interpersonal rejection appears to trigger defensive strategies of attachment avoidance and anxiety. This indicates that rejection-salient cues can elicit insecure attachment strategies