Linking Rejection Sensitivity, Shyness and Unsociability with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Psychiatric Co-Morbidity among Chinese Adolescents

This study investigated whether rejection sensitivity (RS), shyness and unsociability would positively correlate with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and psychiatric co-morbidity and whether shyness and unsociability would mediate the impact of RS on distress outcomes. Four hundred and one adolescents from three middle schools in China completed a demographic questionnaire, Children’s Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, Children’s Shyness Questionnaire, Child Social Preference Scale, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, and the General Health Questionnaire-28. The results showed that RS and shyness were mostly correlated with PTSD and psychiatric co-morbidity whereas unsociability was not and therefore not a mediator. Shyness, on the other hand, mediated the impact of angry RS and anxious RS on PTSD, as well as anxious RS on psychiatric co-morbidity. To conclude, the severity of PTSD along with other psychological difficulties tends to increase for those who are shy and sensitive to rejection.