Rejection sensitivity and mental well-being: The positive role of friendship quality

Abstract

Previous research shows a link between rejection sensitivity (RS) and various psychological disorders; however, its relation to the positive psychological construct of mental well-being remains unstudied. This study investigates the relationship between RS and mental well-being while taking the role of friendship quality into consideration for 323 emerging adults using decision tree analysis. In training (R-2 = .29) and test trees (R-2 = .18), RS had the strongest relationship with mental well-being where those higher in RS had lower mental well-being scores. For those lower in RS, higher combined (same-sex and opposite-sex) friendship quality was associated with higher mental well-being. Whereas for those higher in RS, higher same-sex friendship quality was associated with higher mental well-being. As our findings indicate, friendship quality may play a buffering role for emerging adults, keeping their mental well-being at more preferable levels especially for those with higher RS. Implications for future studies and interventions to boost friendship quality are discussed.