Rejection Sensitivity and Anuptaphobia in Unmarried Women: The Moderating Role of Social Support

Abstract

The current study was conducted to explore the relationship of rejection sensitivity and anuptaphobia in unmarried women. Furthermore, how does perceived social support affect the relationship between rejection sensitivity and anuptaphobia? A sample of 300 unmarried women within the age range of 25–35 years (M = 27.30, SD = 2.49) were recruited through purposive sampling from different hostels, organizations, and universities in Lahore and Sialkot. A correlational research design was used for the study. The Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (Downey et al., 2006), the Fear of Being Single Scale (Spielmann et al., 2013), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988) were all used.The results of the correlational analysis showed that there is a non-significant positive relationship between rejection sensitivity and anuptaphobia. However, anuptaphobia has a positive significant relationship with age. Furthermore, findings of the regression analysis revealed that rejection sensitivity was not significant predictor of anuptaphobia and demographic variables (age, family system and socio-economic status) significantly predicted anuptaphobia. Although the findings of moderation analysis showed that there is no moderating role of social support on rejection sensitivity and anuptaphobia, the findings of this study will help mental health professionals in devising strategies to deal with rejection sensitivity, which can result in anuptaphobia.