Romantic rejection sensitivity and negative adolescent romantic relationship experience

The current study used a longitudinal design to examine if romantic rejection sensitivity leads to negative romantic relationship experiences such as dating aggression perpetration, conflict and hostility and relationship dissatisfaction in an adolescent population. This study also examined whether this relationship was mediated by relationship seriousness, how oriented they are towards their romantic partner, relationship insecurity, and experiencing a partner initiated break-up or not. The sample consisted of 434 adolescents (248 girls, mean age= 15.32) enrolled in grades 9-11 who were followed for one year. Results indicated that romantic rejection sensitivity was only associated with relationship dissatisfaction at Time 1 and Time 2. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the relationship between romantic rejection sensitivity and relationship dissatisfaction was mediated by relationship insecurity and relationship seriousness. This result was only found within time and not longitudinally. These results highlight how romantic rejection sensitivity can influence adolescent romantic relationships.