Effect of rejection sensitivity on the development of anxious-depressive attack in Japanese outpatients: The mediating roles of rumination, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms
- PMID: 36532964
- PMCID: PMC9749812
- DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1016879
Effect of rejection sensitivity on the development of anxious-depressive attack in Japanese outpatients: The mediating roles of rumination, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms
Abstract
Objective: Anxious-depressive attack (ADA) is a cluster of symptoms, including sudden and intense anxiety or depression, intrusive rumination about negative memories or future worries, prominent agitation, impatient behavior, and/or loneliness; in some cases, symptoms include a wide range of violent coping behaviors to manage emotional distress. Four characteristics-rejection sensitivity, rumination, social anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms-are thought to be associated with the development of ADA. However, the complex relationships among these factors have not been clarified. In this study, we aimed to examine the mechanism by which these four characteristics influence the development of ADA.
Methods: We conducted a structured interview about ADA with 332 outpatients, who completed several self-report measures, to assess rejection sensitivity, rumination, social anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms.
Results: A structural equation model showed goodness-of-fit with the data. These findings suggest that rejection sensitivity may demonstrate a direct effect on the occurrence of ADA. Furthermore, rejection sensitivity might affect depressive symptoms through rumination and social anxiety symptoms and consequently contribute to the development of ADA.
Conclusion: These results provide preliminary evidence that rejection sensitivity contributes to the development of ADA.
Keywords: anxious-depressive attack; depressive symptoms; rejection sensitivity; rumination; social anxiety symptoms.
Copyright © 2022 Noda, Masaki, Kishimoto and Kaiya.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Figures

Similar articles
-
Anxious-depressive attack and rejection sensitivity-Toward a new approach to treatment-resistant depression.Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2024 Mar;44(1):17-28. doi: 10.1002/npr2.12399. Epub 2023 Dec 7. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2024. PMID: 38059339 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The anxious-depressive attack severity scale: development and initial validation and reliability.Biopsychosoc Med. 2021 Jul 2;15(1):12. doi: 10.1186/s13030-021-00214-1. Biopsychosoc Med. 2021. PMID: 34215306 Free PMC article.
-
The relationship between anxious-depressive symptoms and harmful cannabis use: Multiple mediation models via rumination, negative urgency, protective behavioral strategies and refusal self-efficacy.Compr Psychiatry. 2022 Jul;116:152320. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2022.152320. Epub 2022 Apr 28. Compr Psychiatry. 2022. PMID: 35523045
-
The Effect of Cyber-Ostracism on Social Anxiety Among Undergraduates: The Mediating Effects of Rejection Sensitivity and Rumination.Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Jan 1;15(1):37. doi: 10.3390/bs15010037. Behav Sci (Basel). 2025. PMID: 39851841 Free PMC article.
-
Worry and rumination: differential associations with anxious and depressive symptoms and coping behavior.Behav Res Ther. 2007 Feb;45(2):277-90. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2006.03.006. Epub 2006 Apr 25. Behav Res Ther. 2007. PMID: 16635479
Cited by
-
Anxious-depressive attack and rejection sensitivity-Toward a new approach to treatment-resistant depression.Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2024 Mar;44(1):17-28. doi: 10.1002/npr2.12399. Epub 2023 Dec 7. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2024. PMID: 38059339 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The role of personality traits in mediating the relation between fear of negative evaluation and social interaction anxiety.Front Psychol. 2023 Oct 19;14:1268052. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1268052. eCollection 2023. Front Psychol. 2023. PMID: 37928579 Free PMC article.
-
The Relationship of Rejection Sensitivity to Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: The Indirect Effect of Perceived Social Acceptance by Peers.Behav Sci (Basel). 2023 Dec 22;14(1):10. doi: 10.3390/bs14010010. Behav Sci (Basel). 2023. PMID: 38247662 Free PMC article.
References
-
- American Psychiatric Association . (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Edn.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.
-
- American Psychological Association . (n.d.). Rumination. In APA Dictionary of Psychology. Available at: https://dictionary.apa.org/rumination. [Accessed October 13, 2022]
-
- Asakura S., Inoue S., Sasaki F., Sasaki Y., Kitagawa N., Inoue T., et al. . (2002). Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Liebowitz social anxiety scale. Jpn. J. Psychiatry Med 44, 1077–1084. doi: 10.11477/mf.1405902721 - DOI
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Research Materials