Rejection In Childhood Research Articles

Parental Acceptance–Rejection and Adult Separation Anxiety: The Mediation of Adult Attachment Insecurity

Adult separation anxiety disorder (ASAD) is classified under anxiety disorders in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM- 5). However, the reasons for ASAD are uncertain. The relationship between ASAD and childhood experiences is one of the frequently debated issues. The purpose of this study was to develop a model that would examine the mediating roles of insecure attachment dimensions—avoidance and anxiety—in the relationship between adults’ retrospective perceptions of parental acceptance–rejection in childhood and separation anxiety. A total of 1,534 participants completed Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire, Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised, Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire, and personal information form. The results of the structural equation model indicated that insecure attachment dimensions—avoidance and anxiety variables—fully mediated the relationship between perceived parental acceptance–rejection and separation anxiety. These findings shed new light on the relationship between adults’ retrospective perceptions of childhood experiences and adult separation anxiety.

Negative symptoms and recollections of parental rejection: The moderating roles of psychological maladjustment and gender

The aim of the study was to investigate the moderating roles of the current self-reported psychological maladjustment and gender in the relationship between perceived parental rejection in childhood and negative symptoms of schizophrenia patients. The study sample consisted of 52 outpatients (20 females and 32 males between the ages of 19 and 61), diagnosed with schizophrenia at Ankara University and Ege University Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry in Turkey. Participants’ negative symptoms, recollections of parental rejection, and psychological maladjustment were assessed by Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, Adult Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire, and Personality Assessment Questionnaire, respectively. The findings revealed that negative symptoms were not directly linked to maternal and paternal rejection. However, negative symptoms significantly associated with psychological maladjustment. Three-way interaction (moderated moderation) analyses showed that the effects of perceived maternal and paternal rejection in childhood on negative symptoms were significantly moderated by the current self-reported psychological maladjustment for female patients with schizophrenia, but not for males. The study highlighted the importance of applying trauma or attachment-focused interventions and a gender-specific psychiatric treatment in schizophrenia.

The link between rejection sensitivity and borderline personality disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

People with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) may experience heightened rejection sensitivity (RS), a disposition developing from repeated childhood rejecting experiences. It is not known whether the full RS model accounts for the cognitive-affective experiences common in BPD. This systematic review extends upon previous reviews, firstly by assessing the link between childhood rejecting experiences and adult RS, and secondly by considering the link between BPD and RS in both non-clinical and clinical samples. Two research questions were devised, and searches based on predetermined criteria were conducted using PsycNET, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. Data were extracted by one researcher and 20% was inter-rated, with high levels of agreement. Forty-three papers were systematically reviewed, and 31 included in meta-analysis and meta-regression. Studies assessing the link between childhood rejection and RS are limited; however, emotional abuse and neglect appears linked with RS. Pooled effect sizes suggest RS is linked with BPD (r=.326), with strong effect sizes when comparing clinical and control samples (r=.655). Qualitative synthesis suggests this may be mediated by executive control, although further research is required. The small number of studies considering the full RS model with regard to BPD suggests the interaction between emotional abuse and neglect affects rejection sensitivity; however, outcomes are inconsistent. Childhood rejection, particularly emotional abuse and neglect, appears to be linked to rejection sensitivity, and rejection sensitivity is linked to BPD. However, this may not be linear. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed. Rejection sensitivity is consistently linked with BPD, in clinical and non-clinical samples. Supporting mentalization or improved theory of mind may offer a therapeutic target for this disposition. Considering the causes and effects of rejection sensitivity may offer a non-blaming explanation of interpersonal difficulties in BPD and could be utilized as part of formulation and the therapeutic relationship. However, the possible interaction between emotional abuse and neglect and rejection sensitivity suggests rejection sensitivity is not always apparent for people with BPD. Idiosyncratic formulation should consider this. The literature included in the review is limited to Western populations with a high proportion of females, which may limit generalizability. Measures of rejection sensitivity included in the review were restricted to self-report, which may be subject to bias. Furthermore, measures of childhood rejection were retrospective in nature due to the exclusion of child samples. Further research should consider longitudinal and observational study designs.

Psychological Maladjustment Mediates the Relation Between Remembrances of Parental Rejection in Childhood and Adults’ Fear of Intimacy: A Multicultural Study

This study assesses interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory’s (IPARTheory’s) prediction that adults’ (both men’s and women’s) remembrances of parental (both maternal and paternal) rejection in childhood are likely to be associated with adults’ fear of intimacy, as mediated by adults’ psychological maladjustment and relationship anxiety. The study also assesses the prediction that these associations will not vary significantly by gender, ethnicity, language, culture, or other such defining conditions. To test these predictions a sample of 3,483 young adults in 13 nations responded to the mother and father versions of the Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (short forms), Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (short form), the Interpersonal Relationship Anxiety Questionnaire, the Fear of Intimacy Scale, and the Revised Personal Information Form. Results of multigroup analyses showed that adults’ remembrances of both maternal and paternal rejection in childhood independently predicted men’s and women’s fear of intimacy in all 13 countries. However, remembered maternal rejection was a significantly stronger predictor of adults’ fear of intimacy than was remembered paternal rejection. Results also confirmed the prediction in all 13 countries and across both genders that both maternal and paternal rejection independently predicted adults’ psychological maladjustment and relationship anxiety, which in turn predicted fear of intimacy. In addition, psychological maladjustment partially mediated the relation between remembrances of maternal and paternal rejection, and adults’ fear of intimacy in all 13 countries and both genders.

They Love Me Not: A Meta-Analysis of Relations Between Parental Undifferentiated Rejection And Offspring’s Psychological Maladjustment

Extensive cross-cultural evidence supports the conclusion that children and adults everywhere understand themselves to be cared about (accepted) or not cared about (rejected) by the people most important to them (e.g., parents) in four ways. These four ways include the perception of warmth/affection (or coldness/lack of affection), hostility/aggression, indifference/neglect, and undifferentiated rejection. In addition, extensive cross-cultural evidence supports the conclusion that psychological adjustment of children and adults everywhere tends to be affected in the same way when they feel their attachment figures do not care about or love them (i.e., reject them). About 11 prior meta-analyses have documented these conclusions about the relationship between psychological maladjustment and the experiences of parental coldness/lack of affection, hostility/aggression, and indifference/neglect, among offspring. However, the cross-cultural link between psychological maladjustment and undifferentiated rejection has not heretofore been explored via meta-analysis. That is the purpose of this study. It examined relations among children’s current perceptions and adults’ remembrances of parental undifferentiated rejection in childhood, and offspring’s psychological adjustment. The meta-analysis was based on 102 studies (89 published and 13 unpublished) from 17 countries involving 24,003 respondents. Results showed that both maternal and paternal undifferentiated rejection correlated significantly in all countries with overall psychological maladjustment of both children and adults. However, maternal undifferentiated rejection had a significantly stronger relationship with both children’s and adults’ psychological maladjustment than did perceived paternal undifferentiated rejection. Perceived maternal undifferentiated rejection also had a significantly stronger relationship with children’s psychological maladjustment than with adults’ psychological maladjustment.

Chronic pain, opioids and addiction

This talk aims to make a distinction between the two growing epidemics in medicine and more especially in psychiatry-opioid dependence and functional pain syndromes (FPS). The distinction has been blurred in current literature, and often, patients with FPS are labelled addicts. Opioid addicts are not treated for the FPS which perpetuate their addiction. More importantly, the onset of both these syndromes is often iatrogenic in nature. Genetics, epigenetics, early childhood trauma and rejection, personality disorders as well as clinical depression and anxiety syndromes all have an intersecting role in this group of patients which makes it crucial for psychiatrists and registrars to be aware of how to recognise and treat them. The Durban pain clinic runs a multidisciplinary team approach towards helping patients with FPS and opioid addictions using the currently available information of the possible pathophysiology of the FPS group of diagnosis, and the basis of this programme will be elaborated and put forward as an alternative to what’s currently available. The clinic with the aid of an unrestricted grant from Cipla, South Africa, is putting together a think tank to come up with guidelines to be published which can be used nationally to manage patients with FPS. The talk proposes these guidelines to the audience and hopes to engender an awareness and level of interest in the field so that the word can be spread amongst other specialties and colleagues. There is no role for opioids in the management of chronic pain syndromes.

Retrospective parental rejection is associated with aggressive behavior as well as cognitive distortions in forensic psychiatric outpatients.

Objective: Parental rejection in childhood is associated with the increased risk of aggression in adulthood and is thought to contribute to the development of inaccurate beliefs regarding own or others' behavior (i.e., cognitive distortion) as well. Different forms of aggression are thought to be linked to different types of cognitive distortions. This, however, is unclear in adults. Additionally, it is unknown if parental rejection predicts the presence of aggression and cognitive distortions in adults displaying severe aggression. Method: One hundred twenty-three adult forensic psychiatric outpatients with aggression regulation problems were recruited. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression analysis and path analyses were conducted to investigate distinct patterns of cognitive distortions, as measured by use of the How I Think Questionnaire, and the role of perceived parental rejection, as measured by use of the Parental Rejection and Acceptance Questionnaire. Results: Cognitive distortions related to opposition-defiance (e.g. disrespecting rules) and to physical aggression were most strongly associated with the disposition to act aggressively. Furthermore, a direct association was found between parental rejection and this current disposition. This association was partially mediated by cognitive distortions related to opposition-defiance. Conclusion: The current study supports the notion that parental rejection has profound consequences on adult behavior. Acknowledgement of the impact of cognitive distortions on current aggression might be of importance for treatment. A stronger focus on altering distinct cognitive distortions may be more successful in reducing aggression.

Differential roles of early maladaptive schema domains on the link between perceived parenting behaviors and depression, anxiety, and anger

Research that focuses on the association between parenting and psychological problems provide consistent results indicating more severe levels of maladjustment being associated with high levels of parental rejection and control. Nevertheless, it is equally important to understand the mechanisms that explain the relationship among these concepts. The present study explored the role of Early Maladaptive Schema (EMS) domains in the relationship between parenting dimensions (rejection and control) and measures of anxiety, depression, and maladaptive anger expression in a sample of Turkish undergraduate students (N = 266, 188 female). Participants were administered scales that assess maternal rejection and control, EMS, anxiety, depression, and anger. Results revealed that perceived maternal rejection and control in childhood might have substantial influence in adult functioning. More specifically, the association between maternal rejection and psychological symptoms was mediated by disconnection schema domain. On the other hand, maternal control was linked to anxiety and depression through impaired autonomy schema domain, but its association with anger was through impaired limits schema domain. Findings indicate differential roles of schema domains on the relation between parenting behaviors and psychological distress measures.

Coping With Remembrances of Parental Rejection in Childhood: Gender Differences and Associations With Intimate Partner Relationships

Grounded in interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory), this exploratory study investigated a) major characteristics of affective copers and non-copers, b) the effects of acceptance by one parent insofar as it moderates rejection by the other parent, and c) the mediation effect of intimate partner relationships on the relation between remembered parental rejection and adults’ current psychological adjustment. The theory recognizes that the psychological adjustment of some adults who remember having been rejected by parents in childhood is not as seriously impaired as it is for the majority of individuals. These people are called affective copers in IPARTheory. The sample included 724 affective copers and 1121 non-copers, which are adults who remember having been rejected by their parents in childhood, and whose psychological adjustment is impaired in adulthood. Results of analyses revealed that for male affective copers, both maternal and paternal rejection were unique and significant predictors of adjustment, whereas for female copers, age and an interaction between remembrances of maternal and paternal rejection were significant predictors. For male non-copers, age, remembered parental rejection, and an interaction between maternal and paternal rejection were significant predictors of psychological adjustment. For female non-copers, in contrast, remembrances of both maternal and paternal rejection in childhood were significant predictors. Lastly, perceived partner acceptance-rejection mediated the relationship between remembered parental rejection in childhood and the psychological adjustment of non-copers, but not of affective copers. Results of this study inform the work of practitioners and prevention scientists working with adults who experienced serious rejection from their parents in childhood.

Independent Contributions of Early Positive Parenting and Mother-Son Coercion on Emerging Social Development.

In the current study, we explored associations between parent-child coercion and positive parenting in the toddler period in relation to children's social-behavioral development during the school-age period. The data were drawn from the Pitt Mother & Child Project, a sample of 310 low-income, ethnically diverse boys. Drawing on tenets of both attachment and social learning theory, it was hypothesized that coercive mother-son interaction would lead to reductions in positive maternal parenting in the toddler period, and that both positive parenting and mother-son coercion in the toddler period would contribute to children's conduct problems at school entry and lower social skills and peer rejection in middle childhood. The results were largely confirmed, such that mother-son coercive interaction at 18 months was related to decreases in positive parenting at 24 months. Additionally, mother-son coercive interaction and positive parenting at 24 months were linked to child conduct problems at age 5, which in turn predicted child social skills and peer rejection during middle childhood. In addition to indirect effects through child conduct problems, mother-son coercion continued to be independently related to school-age peer rejection. The findings are discussed with respect to the importance of early coercive interactions in the growth of child social-behavioral development from early to middle childhood.

Relations among adults' remembrances of parental acceptance–rejection in childhood, self-reported psychological adjustment, and adult psychopathology

AimsThe aim of the study was to examine relationships among recollections of maternal and paternal acceptance–rejection in childhood and the level of psychological adjustment among adults diagnosed with schizophrenia, social anxiety, and nonclinical control. The study focused primarily on adults with schizophrenia and social anxiety in comparison to nonclinical adults. MethodsFifty-three adults diagnosed with schizophrenia, 51 adults with self-reported social anxiety, and 147 nonclinical controls between the ages of 18 and 62 participated in the study. Data were collected using adult versions of the Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire for mothers and for fathers, Personality Assessment Questionnaire, Brief Symptom Inventory, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, and the Demographic Information Form. ResultsFindings of analyses showed that participants in the schizophrenia and social anxiety groups remembered having experienced significantly more maternal rejection in childhood than did the nonclinical group. Patient with schizophrenia also reported more recollections of paternal rejection than the nonclinical group. Both clinical groups self-reported more psychological maladjustment than did the nonclinical group. Regression analysis indicated that even though the overall psychological adjustment of adults diagnosed with schizophrenia was predicted by both maternal and paternal acceptance–rejection, psychological adjustment of adults in the social anxiety group was predicted only by maternal (but not paternal) acceptance–rejection. ConclusionThis study provides evidence about the long-lasting associations between adults' recollections of parental acceptance–rejection in childhood and their psychological adjustment in two mental disorders, in which genetic and environmental factors have a different weight.

Perceived Parental Rejection in Middle Childhood as a Predictor of Lower Adulthood Resilience

Perceived Parental Rejection in Middle Childhood as a Predictor of Lower Adulthood Resilience

Problematic Social Situations for Peer-Rejected Students in the First Year of Elementary School.

This study examined the social situations that are problematic for peer-rejected students in the first year of elementary school. For this purpose, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the Taxonomy of Problematic Social Situations for Children (TOPS, Dodge et al., 1985) in 169 rejected pupils, identified from a sample of 1457 first-grade students (ages 5–7) enrolled in 62 classrooms of elementary school. For each rejected student, another student of average sociometric status of the same gender was selected at random from the same classroom (naverage = 169). The model for the rejected students showed a good fit, and was also invariant in the group of average students. Four types of situations were identified in which rejected students have significantly more difficulties than average students. They are, in descending order: (a) respect for authority and rules, (b) being disadvantaged, (c) prosocial and empathic behavior, and (d) response to own success. Rejected boys have more problems in situations of prosociability and empathy than girls. The implications concerning the design of specific programs to prevent and reduce early childhood rejection in the classroom are discussed.

The socializing effect of classroom aggression on the development of aggression and social rejection: A two-wave multilevel analysis

The current study examined the moderating effect of classroom aggression on the development of individual aggression and on the path from individual aggression to social rejection over time. The study included 1,284 elementary school children and consisted of two data waves 10months apart. At both time points, teachers assessed the children's physical and relational aggression and their social rejection status. Multi-level analyses revealed that the classroom level of relational aggression moderated the link between individual relational aggression at T1 and T2 (b=−0.18, 95% CI [−0.32, −0.05], p<.01) and the link between T1 relational aggression and T2 social rejection (b=−0.12, 95% CI [−0.23, −0.003], p<.01). Being in a classroom where relational aggression was prevalent increased relational aggression among children with a low level of relational aggression at T1. Furthermore, a high individual level of relational aggression predicted greater social rejection in classrooms with a low level of relational aggression. Children were mainly influenced by their same-gender peers. Boys as a group had a greater influence than girls on their peers of either gender in the domain of relational aggression, whereas girls as a group had a greater influence in the domain of physical aggression. The contributions of analyzing cross-level interaction to understanding the developmental patterns of aggression and social rejection in middle childhood are discussed.

Preference for faces resembling opposite-sex parents is moderated by emotional closeness in childhood

Several studies have found that individuals select partners who resemble their parents. The evidence for this effect seems stronger in relation to opposite-sex than same-sex parents, although the ultimate-level biological explanations put forward to explain these preferences do not seem to require that they need to be built on the appearance of the opposite-sex parent, rather than any other immediate family member. We set out to revisit this question, while assessing face preferences rather than partner choice. Face preferences might uncover more subtle effects than partner choice, as they can elucidate preferences in an unconstrained environment. We presented participants with faces manipulated to resemble their mother, father or self, but did not find that they selected these faces as more suitable for relationships than control faces. However, consistent with previous work, participants who reported less childhood rejection by their opposite-sex parent selected faces that resembled that parent significantly more frequently than control faces. Taken together with previous work, opposite-sex parental faces seem more important than same-sex parental faces in shaping partner preferences, and childhood relationships seem to modify potential attraction to parent-resembling faces. Despite some inconsistent findings, this effect has been detected across the different methodologies used to assess preferences.

Maternal Rejection and Idealized Value of Appearance: Exploring the Origins of Body Dysmorphic Concerns Among Young Adults.

Body dysmorphic disorder is a clinical disorder characterized by a preoccupation with an imagined or exaggerated defect in one's appearance (American Psychological Association, 2013), causing impaired functioning. Cognitive-behavioral models of body dysmorphic disorder have been proposed, whereby social anxiety and parental rejection may be predisposing factors, whereas maladaptive cognitive biases, such as appraisals of rejection, may serve as maintenance factors. The primary aim of this study was to test the role that perceived parental rejection in childhood may play in understanding the development of body dysmorphic symptoms. Furthermore, this study examined whether idealized values of appearance act as a mediator between perceived maternal rejection and body dysmorphic symptoms. The sample comprised 239 Australian undergraduate psychology students. Social anxiety, appearance-based rejection sensitivity, maternal rejection, and idealized values of appearance uniquely predicted body dysmorphic symptoms. Furthermore, the relationship between maternal rejection and body dysmorphic symptoms was partially mediated by idealized values of appearance. Findings support cognitive-behavioral models of body dysmorphic disorder.

Adults’ Remembrances of Parental Acceptance–Rejection in Childhood Predict Current Rejection Sensitivity in Adulthood

Interpersonal acceptance–rejection theory predicts that the experience of parental rejection in childhood leads to the development of rejection sensitivity that tends to extend into adulthood. This study provides the first test of this prediction within the framework of the theory. Self‐report surveys were administered to 271 undergraduates (M age = 21.73). Adults’ remembrances of both maternal and paternal acceptance–rejection in childhood were significantly related to their current levels of rejection sensitivity. Moreover, acceptance–rejection from the same‐sex parent explained more of the variance in rejection sensitivity than did acceptance–rejection from the other‐sex parent.

Teoría de la Aceptación-Rechazo Interpersonal (IPARTheory): Bases Conceptuales, Método y Evidencia Empírica [Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory): Theoretical Bases, Method and Empirical Evidence

Interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory) is an evidence-based theory of socialization and lifespan development that attempts to predict and explain major causes, consequences, and other correlates of interpersonal—especially parental—acceptance and rejection. This theory is divided into three subtheories. These are personality subtheory ( children everywhere—in different sociocultural systems, racial or ethnic groups, genders, and the like—respond in essentially the same way when they perceive themselves to be accepted or rejected by their parents or other attachment figures), coping subtheory (some children and adults emotionally cope more effectively than most with the similar experiences of childhood rejection), and sociocultural systems subtheory (specific psychological, familial, community, and societal factors tend to be reliably associated the world over with specific variations in parental acceptance-rejection). Several distinctive features guide IPARTheory's method: 1) the theory draws extensively from worldwide and cross-cultural evidence employing a multimethod research strategy; 2) provide a conceptual framework for integrating empirical studies on issues of parental acceptance-rejection from a lifespan developmental perspective.

Remembered Parental Rejection and Social Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Partner Acceptance-Rejection

The present study investigated: (a) the mediating effect of perceived intimate partner rejection in the relationship between remembered parental rejection and social anxiety, and (b) the moderating effect of gender in the relationship between remembered paternal and maternal rejection and social anxiety. The sample was consisted of 365 Greek university students (266 female; 99 male; 18–48 years) and data collection was made with self-report questionnaires measuring demographic characteristics, remembered paternal and maternal rejection, perceived intimate partner rejection, and social anxiety. The indirect (mediation) and conditional (moderating) effects were examined using the PROCESS program. Results showed that perceived intimate partner rejection mediated partly the relationship between both remembered paternal and maternal rejection and social anxiety. It was also found that remembered paternal and maternal rejection in childhood have a greater impact on the levels of social anxiety in adulthood for men than for women. Implications for future research and effective therapeutic interventions for socially anxious individuals are discussed.

A Developmental Perspective on Peer Rejection, Deviant Peer Affiliation, and Conduct Problems Among Youth.

Peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation are linked consistently to the development and maintenance of conduct problems. Two proposed models may account for longitudinal relations among these peer processes and conduct problems: the (a) sequential mediation model, in which peer rejection in childhood and deviant peer affiliation in adolescence mediate the link between early externalizing behaviors and more serious adolescent conduct problems; and (b) parallel process model, in which peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation are considered independent processes that operate simultaneously to increment risk for conduct problems. In this review, we evaluate theoretical models and evidence for associations among conduct problems and (a) peer rejection and (b) deviant peer affiliation. We then consider support for the sequential mediation and parallel process models. Next, we propose an integrated model incorporating both the sequential mediation and parallel process models. Future research directions and implications for prevention and intervention efforts are discussed.