Rejection sensitivity and psychopathology symptoms in early adolescence: The moderating role of personality organization

Abstract

Introduction: Emerging personality organization may play an important role in the psychological adjustment of early adolescents, but research in this area is still limited. The current study evaluated if personality organization moderates the association between rejection sensitivity and adverse psychological outcomes in early adolescence.

Methods: Three-hundred eighty-six early adolescents (age range 13-15 years; 51% Female) attending junior high schools in Italy completed the semi-structured Interview of Personality Organization Processes in Adolescence (IPOP-A), the Children's Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (CRSQ), and the Youth Self Report/11-18 (YSR).

Results: Disruption in the emerging personality organization was associated with increasing symptom problems in early adolescence. Conversely, the successful development of personality organization buffered the relation between rejection sensitivity and negative psychological outcomes (i.e., conduct and affective problems).

Conclusion: These findings encourage to accurately evaluate personality organization in adolescence, in order to take into account difficulties but also strengths in personality organization when treating early adolescents.

Keywords: Assessment; Early adolescence; Personality organization; Psychopathological functioning; Rejection sensitivity.