Drawing from and extending rejection sensitivity (RS) theory, we tested a serial mediation pathway model, whereby perceived parenting practices were expected to be indirectly related to participants’ depressive and trait-anxious symptoms through RS, as well as emotional and behavioural responses to rejection. Participants were 628 adolescents and young adults (M = 19.8 years, SD = 2.6, 65.3% female) completing self-report measures assessing current perceived parenting practices, RS, emotion dysregulation, emotion suppression, social withdrawal, and depressive and trait-anxious symptoms. In latent-variable structural equation modelling, a latent construct of more positive (and fewer negative) perceived parenting practices was directly associated with offsprings’ lower level of depression and trait-anxiety symptoms. Also, there were indirect associations of parenting via RS, emotion dysregulation, suppression, and social withdrawal, regardless of whether the model focused on depressive or trait-anxious symptoms. The findings provide further support of the importance for adolescents and young adults to perceive that they experience warm and autonomy-supportive relationships with their parents (instead of rejecting, coercive, or psychologically controlling relationships); along with providing an extended model whereby anxious expectations of rejection associates with greater emotional difficulties through negative responses to difficult emotions and the tendency to withdraw from such experiences. Together, perceived parenting practices and rejection-related beliefs and responses seem to activate a pathway to elevated depressive and trait-anxiety symptoms.

Objectives: The current study examines whether psychosocial outcomes following pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) vary as a function of children’s rejection sensitivity (RS), defined as their disposition to be hypersensitive to cues of rejection from peers. Methods: Children ages 8–13 with a history of severe TBI (STBI, n=16), complicated mild/moderate TBI (n=35), or orthopedic injury (OI, n=49) completed measures assessing self-esteem and RS on average 3.28 years post-injury (SD=1.33, range=1.25–6.34). Parents reported on their child’s emotional and behavioral functioning and social participation. Results: Regression analyses found moderation of group differences by RS for three outcomes: social participation, self-perceptions of social acceptance, and externalizing behavior problems. Conditional effects at varying levels of RS indicated that externalizing problems and social participation were significantly worse for children with STBI at high levels of RS, compared to children with OI. Social participation for the STBI group remained significantly lower than the OI group at mean levels of RS, but not at low levels of RS. At high levels of RS, self-perceptions of social acceptance were lower for children with moderate TBI compared to OI, but group differences were not significant at mean or low levels of RS. No evidence of moderation was found for global self-worth, self-perceptions of physical appearance or athletic ability, or internalizing problems. Conclusions: The findings highlight the salient nature of social outcomes in the context of varying levels of RS. These findings may have implications for the design of interventions to improve social outcomes following TBI. (JINS, 2017, 23, 451–459)

Objective: This exploratory study applied a biopsychosocial perspective to investigate cognitive and psychosocial factors related to emotional adjustment and QoL after brain tumour. Methods: Participants included 30 adults with a brain tumour (60% benign and 40% malignant) who were aged 28 to 71 years (M = 51.5, SD = 12.3) and on average 5.4 years post-diagnosis (SD = 5.6 years). Participants completed a brief battery of cognitive tests and self-report measures of emotional status (Depression, Anxiety Stress Scale), subjective impairment (Patient Competency Rating Scale), coping (COPE), social support (Brief Social Support Questionnaire), and QoL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy — Brain Tumour [FACT-Br]). Results: QoL was significantly associated with global cognitive ability (r = .49, p < .01), subjective impairment (r = .66, p < .01), and satisfaction with support (r = .50, p < .05). Level of depressive symptoms was significantly correlated with premorbid IQ (r = -.49, p < .01), use of planning to cope (r = -.48, p < .01), and satisfaction with support (r = -.47, p < .01). Conclusions: Overall, these exploratory findings indicate that emotional adjustment and QoL after brain tumour is related to a slightly different pattern of neuropsychological, psychological (self-perceptions and coping) and social factors. The clinical implications for interventions with individuals with brain tumour are discussed.