A longitudinal and experience sampling investigation of rejection sensitivity and its role in sexual minority adolescents' mental health

项目摘要 性少数青少年（SMA）受心理健康问题的影响不成比例，例如 抑郁症和自杀倾向。这些差距在 青春期并持续到成年，通常归因于独特的人际压力， 它们面对（例如，性取向相关排斥）。鉴于拒绝是心理健康的一个强大的风险因素， 问题，特别是在青春期，它历来是SM个人的研究重点 心理健康然而，除了被拒绝的经历之外，对被拒绝的期望和 陪伴他们在心理健康方面也发挥着重要作用。拒绝灵敏度（RS）理论提出， 早期被拒绝的经历会导致一种倾向，即焦虑地期待，容易察觉， 对拒绝做出反应，这可能会损害一个人的心理健康。尽管有证据表明RS与 SM成年人中存在一系列心理健康问题，我们对其发展和作用的理解 SMA的心理健康在几个重要方面受到限制（例如，几乎所有先前的研究都是交叉的， 对成年人的分段研究，并且缺乏对可能伴随的不同情绪的关注。 拒绝的期望以及潜在的机制和保护因素）。 鉴于这些差距，拟议的R 01的目标是确定性取向相关的作用， 不同类型RS发展中的排斥反应及其各自的心理健康后果， SMA，以确定RS影响该人群心理健康的机制，并确定 RS发展中的保护因素。我们将招募500名SMA（年龄14-17岁）参与研究， 使用我们团队先前工作中建立的方法进行纵向和经验抽样研究。数据将 在四次半年期评估（基线、6个月、12个月、18个月）时收集数据，以确定纵向关系 在性取向相关的拒绝，RS（焦虑和愤怒），和心理健康（抑郁症状 和临床升高、自杀意念和反应性攻击）。此外，参与者将完成一个6- 一项为期一周的经验采样研究（每天4次评估，分两次进行，每次3周），以检查 RS在日常生活中发生的前因和后果。这些数据将用于实现三个 具体目的：（1）确定性取向相关拒绝、性取向相关拒绝、性拒绝、性取向相关拒绝、性取向相关拒绝、性拒绝、性取向相关性拒绝、性拒绝、性拒绝 （焦虑和愤怒）和心理健康（抑郁，自杀意念和反应性攻击）;（2）识别 机制（社会退缩，自我和他人指责，以回应拒绝，和性取向 隐藏）之间的纵向和日常关系RS和心理健康问题;和（3） 研究性取向相关的社会支持和接受作为发展中的保护因素， 卢比建议的R 01将促进我们对RS的发展，其后果， 潜在的机制和保护因素，这将为改善SMA的心理健康提供信息。

PROJECT SUMMARY Sexual minority adolescents (SMA) are disproportionately affected by mental health problems such as depression and suicidality relative to their heterosexual peers. These disparities are greatest during adolescence and persist into adulthood, and are generally attributed to the unique interpersonal stressors that they face (e.g., sexual orientation-related rejection). Given that rejection is a robust risk factor for mental health problems, especially during adolescence, it has historically been the focus of research on SM individuals' mental health. However, in addition to experiences of rejection, expectations of rejection and the emotions that accompany them also play important roles in mental health. The rejection sensitivity (RS) theory proposes that early experiences of rejection can lead to a disposition to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and intensely react to rejection, which can then compromise one's mental health. Despite evidence that RS is associated with a range of mental health problems among SM adults, our understanding of its development and role in SMA's mental health is limited in several important ways (e.g., nearly all prior studies have been cross- sectional studies of adults, and there has been a lack of attention to different emotions that can accompany expectations of rejection as well as underlying mechanisms and protective factors). Given these gaps, the goals of the proposed R01 are to determine the role of sexual orientation-related rejection in the development of different types of RS and their respective mental health consequences among SMA, to identify the mechanisms through which RS influences mental health in this population, and to identify protective factors in the development of RS. We will recruit a cohort of 500 SMA (ages 14-17) to participate in a longitudinal and experience-sampling study using methods established in our team's prior work. Data will be collected at four biannual assessments (baseline, 6-, 12-, 18-months) to determine the longitudinal relations among sexual orientation-related rejection, RS (anxious and angry), and mental health (depression symptoms and clinical elevations, suicidal ideation, and reactive aggression). In addition, participants will complete a 6- week experience-sampling study (4 assessments per day, administered in two 3-week bursts) to examine antecedents and consequences of RS as they occur in daily life. These data will be used to accomplish three specific aims: (1) Determine the longitudinal and daily relations among sexual orientation-related rejection, RS (anxious and angry), and mental health (depression, suicidal ideation, and reactive aggression); (2) Identify mechanisms (social withdrawal, self- and other-blame in response to rejection, and sexual orientation concealment) underlying the longitudinal and daily relations between RS and mental health problems; and (3) Examine sexual orientation-related social support and acceptance as protective factors in the development of RS. The proposed R01 will advance our understanding of the development of RS, its consequences, the underlying mechanisms, and protective factors, which will inform interventions to improve SMA's mental health.