Exploring the Link between Rejection Sensitivity, Attachment Pattern and Socio-Emotional Adjustment of Adolescents Living in Orphanage and with their Parents

Rejection sensitivity refers to defensively expect, perceive and over-react to perceived rejection by others and has been theorized to originate from early attachment pattern. However, this hypothesized link remains untested. The present study examines the link between Rejection Sensitivity (RS), Attachment Pattern (AP) and Socio-Emotional Adjustment (SA & EA) among adolescent's living in orphanages and those living with their parents. Adolescents (N=360) ranging between 14–18 years completed self-report measures. The findings suggest that there exists significantly positive and negative correlation as well as significant interaction between gender and living conditions among the variables RS, AP, SA and EA.