Mediating effects of rejection sensitivity between adult attachment and depressive symptoms in college students / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the relationship between adult attachment, rejection sensitivity and depressive symptoms in college students.Method:A total of 705 college students were recruited with cluster sampling and measured with rejection sensitivity questionnaire(RSQ), experiences in close relationships inventory(ECR), and Beck depression inventory(BDI). Based on the criteria of depressive symptoms of Beck depression scale, those with scores <5 were divided into the group with no depressive symptoms(non-depression group, n=373) and those with scores ≥5 were divided into the group with depressive symptoms(depression group, n=332). SPSS 17.0 and AMOS 19.0 were used to conduct data analysis of the results, and the mediating effect was tested by Bootstrap method. Results:(1) The scores of anxious attachment (71.00(57.00, 80.00)) and avoidant attachment(66.00(55.00, 72.00)) in the depressive group were both significantly higher than those in the non-depressive group(65.00(52.50, 74.00))、(66.00(51.50, 72.00))( Z=-7.29, -2.85, P<0.01), the score of rejection sensitivity (9.78(8.27, 11.06)) in the depressive group was significantly higher than that in the non-depressive group(9.39(7.63, 10.67))( Z=-6.15, P<0.01). (2)Anxious attachment had significantly positively correlation with rejection sensitivity ( r=0.33, P<0.01) and depressive symptoms( r=0.33, P<0.01). Avoidant attachment had significantly positively correlation with rejection sensitivity ( r=0.15, P<0.01) and depressive symptoms( r=0.10, P<0.01). Rejection sensitivity had significantly positively correlation with depressive symptoms ( r=0.28, P<0.01). (3)Rejection sensitivity partially mediated the relationships between adult attachment and depressive symptoms.The mediating effect of rejection sensitivity on the influence of anxious attachment on depressive symptoms was 8.7%, accounting for 39.73% of the total effect.And the mediating effect for avoidant attachment was 3.0%, accounting for 29.90% of the total effect. Conclusion:Adult attachment has indirect effects on depressive symptoms through rejection sensitivity.