Girls' Use of Defense Mechanisms Following Peer Rejection

2020

This cross-sectional study addressed the question of how peer rejection sensitivity may contribute to the relationship between teacher rejection sensitivity and psychological maladjustment among adolescents. Data were collected through Urdu version of Children Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (CRSQ; Shujja et al., 2017) and Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ; Naz & Kausar, 2013) from the conveniently drawn sample including boys (n =140) and girls (n = 160) of 14-18 years. Moderation analysis was carried out and results revealed that peers’ angry reaction to ambiguously intentioned rejection positively moderated the relationship between teachers’ angry reaction to ambiguously intentioned rejection and psychological maladjustment. It means that that the nature of relationship between teachers’ angry reaction to ambiguously intentioned rejection and psychological maladjustment becomes positive when peers’ angry reaction to ambiguously intentioned rejection is low. Partially i...

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2010

The objective of this investigation was to examine whether children's responses to peer victimization predict subsequent changes in their social and emotional well-being. Also investigated was whether these associations vary as a function of children's sex and level of victimization. Participants included 420 4th-and 5th-grade students (197 boys). Data included children's self-reports of their responses to peer victimization in the Fall and measures of their socioemotional adjustment obtained in the Fall and Spring. Results indicated that there are a number of tradeoffs associated with children's responses to peer victimization. Seeking other's support was predictive of decreased aggression among children infrequently victimized, but was also predictive of increased internalizing difficulties. Avoidant coping predicted improved social adjustment for boys, but declines in social adjustment for girls. Retaliation was associated with increased social maladjustment, but for highly victimized children, predicted decreases in anxiety. Implications for intervention efforts are discussed.

Child Development, 1998

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.

Journal of Adolescence, 2010

The association between affiliating with aggressive peers and behavioral, social and psychological adjustment was examined. Students initially in 3 rd , 4 th , and 5 th grade (N = 427) were followed biannually through 7 th grade. Students' peer-nominated groups were identified. Multilevel modeling was used to examine the independent contributions of adolescents' typical peer context (betweenperson effect) and changes in peer context (within-person effects) to adolescents' adjustment. Typically affiliating with aggressive groups and affiliating with more aggressive groups than usual predicted higher aggression for all youth. Typically affiliating with aggressive groups predicted negative adjustment (lower social preference and self-worth, higher victimization) for girls but neutral or positive adjustment for boys. Although typical peer context was consistently associated with adjustment, changes in peer context predicted small changes in adjustment for several outcomes. Results underscored the need to adopt a more differentiated picture of adolescents' dynamic peer context and its association with normative development.

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 2006

We examined children's behavioral coping in response to an in vivo peer rejection manipulation. Participants (N = 186) ranging between 10 and 13 years of age, played a computer game based on the television show Survivor and were randomized to either peer rejection (i.e., being voted out of the game) or non-rejection control. During a five-min. post-feedback waiting period children's use of several behavioral coping strategies was assessed. Rejection elicited a marked shift toward more negative affect, but higher levels of perceived social competence attenuated the negative mood shift. Children higher in depressive symptoms were more likely to engage in passive and avoidant coping behavior. Types of coping were largely unaffected by gender and perceived social competence. Implications are discussed.

Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2010

This study used longitudinal, multireporter data, in a community sample, to examine the role of rejection sensitivity in late adolescents' social and emotional development. Rejection sensitivity was linked to a relative increase in adolescent depressive and anxiety symptoms over a 3-year period, even after accounting for teens' baseline level of social competence. Additionally, reciprocal relationships emerged between rejection sensitivity and internalizing symptoms. Rejection sensitivity was also linked to relative decreases in peer-reports of teens' social competence over a 3-year period. Consistent with research on gendered socialization, males reported higher levels of rejection sensitivity than females at ages 16 and 17. Results are interpreted as highlighting the importance of rejection sensitivity in understanding late adolescent social and emotional development.

Child Development …, 2010

Abstract— Peer rejection has gained much attention in recent years, due to repeated findings that negative peer experiences in childhood predict adjustment difficulties in adolescence and adulthood. The dominant conceptualization within developmental psychology has overwhelmingly focused on deficits within rejected children that contribute to their difficulties and has neglected contextual factors in the peer group setting that may also influence peer rejection. This article reviews growing evidence that the social context in which peer interactions occur does affect children’s liking or disliking of peers and argues that a complete model of peer rejection will be obtained only through understanding influences of social contexts. Implications for improving existing peer-rejection interventions and for public policy are discussed.

Infant and Child Development, 2006

The present study investigated children's anticipated emotional response and anticipated coping in response to peer rejection, as well as the qualifying effects of gender, depressive symptoms, and perceived social competence. Participants ðN ¼ 234Þ, ranging in age between 10 and 13 years, were presented with two written vignettes depicting peer rejection. The most highly endorsed coping strategies were behavioural distraction, problem-focused behaviour, and positive reappraisal. Results indicate that children higher in depressive symptoms reported a more negative anticipated mood impact. Moreover, children higher in depressive symptoms were less inclined to endorse behavioural and cognitive coping strategies typically associated with mood improvement (e.g., behavioural distraction, positive reappraisal). Independent of depression, children scoring higher on perceived social competence reported more active, problem-oriented coping behaviour in response to the stressors. Types of coping were largely unaffected by gender, however girls reported higher levels of anticipated sadness than boys in response to the rejection vignettes. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

This article defines the construct of social peer rejection and describes the development of the Social Peer Rejection Measure. Social peer rejection entails being rejected, excluded, ostracized, or criticized by one's peers; lack of active sympathy and active dislike on the part of one's peers; ignoring; preventing access to friends, playtime activities, toys, or important information; verbal aggression; commands; and blaming the rejected child. Evidence for the validity and reliability of the scale is presented. Results indicated strong content validity, construct validity, and criterion-referenced validity. Differences were found between females and males in terms of insult, accusation, and reported levels of physical attack.

Child Development, 2005

This study investigated the prospective links between three forms of peer adversities (i.e., victimization, rejection, and lack of reciprocated friendships) and children's perceptions of themselves and of their peers. The sample consisted of 212 children (107 boys and 105 girls, 11 -13 years) recruited from four primary schools and followed up for a period of one year. The results showed that a negative self-perception was a risk factor for the development of all forms of peer adversities. Of the three forms of peer adversities assessed, victimization and rejection had an influence on children's peer perceptions. None of the peer adversities predicted changes in selfperceptions. The results partially support a transactional model between children and their environments. This study is part of the ongoing project ''Relational schemata, social goals, and social adjustment in childhood and in adolescence,'' funded by the Academy of Finland (project 202554/68884), Emil Aaltonen Foundation, and Oskar O ¨flund Foundation. We are grateful for the thoughtful comments provided by Ernest Hodges regarding the manuscript. We extend our thanks to the participating students and their parents, the teachers who made the data collection possible, and the research assistants working in the project.