Investigating the Mediating Role of Cognitive Appraisal in the Relationship Between Rejection Sensitivity and Anxiety Symptoms in Female University Students
Keywords:
Rejection sensitivity, cognitive appraisal, anxiety, female studentsAbstract
Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of cognitive appraisal in the relationship between rejection sensitivity and anxiety symptoms in female university students.
Methods and Materials: This research was a descriptive-correlational study using structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all female students at universities in Tehran, and a sample of 400 was selected based on Morgan’s table through convenience sampling. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess rejection sensitivity, cognitive appraisal, and anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and SEM via SPSS-27 and AMOS-21.
Findings: Results indicated significant positive correlations between rejection sensitivity and cognitive appraisal (r = 0.41, p < .01), cognitive appraisal and anxiety symptoms (r = 0.47, p < .01), and rejection sensitivity and anxiety symptoms (r = 0.54, p < .01). The structural model demonstrated good fit (CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.052). Path analysis confirmed that cognitive appraisal significantly mediated the relationship between rejection sensitivity and anxiety symptoms (indirect effect = 0.16).
Conclusion: The findings suggest that cognitive appraisal serves as a significant mediating mechanism through which rejection sensitivity influences anxiety symptoms. Cognitive-based psychological interventions may help reduce anxiety in female students with high rejection sensitivity.
Downloads
References
Agustiningsih, R. D. (2021). Unpleasant Emotions in Linking Cognitive Appraisals and Academic Procrastination in Doing Thesis Article: A Perspective of Control-Value Theory. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210304.060
Aizawa, N., & Omori, M. (2021). The Mediating Effect of Cognitive Appraisal on the Relationship Between Sleep Habits and the Stress Response Among Japanese Female College Students. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-147428/v1
Chadha, N. J., Turner, M. J., & Slater, M. J. (2023). Examination of Cognitive Appraisals, Irrational Beliefs, and Challenge and Threat Evaluations in the Prediction of Tournament Affective States and Performance of Competitive Elite Indian Golfers. Stress and Health, 40(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3342
Fraga, K., Erickson, T. M., & Wee, J. (2023). B - 87 Investigating Acceptance as an Incremental Predictor of Perceived and Actual Cognitive Performance. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 38(7), 1454-1454. https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acad067.293
Gomes, A. R., Faria, S., & Vilela, C. (2017). Anxiety and Burnout in Young Athletes: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Appraisal. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 27(12), 2116-2126. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12841
Harris, D., Arthur, T., Vine, S. J., Rahman, H. R. A., Han, F., liu, j., & Wilson, M. (2023). The Effect of Performance Pressure and Error-Feedback on Anxiety and Performance in an Interceptive Task. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/w4m3x
Huang, M., & Yang, J. (2023). Cognitive Appraisal and Coping Styles of College Students’ English Learning Anxiety. SHS Web of Conferences, 171, 02012. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202317102012
Kero, K., Halter, C. M., Moll, A. C., Hanna, S., Woodard, J. L., Giordani, B., Daugherty, A. M., & Kavcic, V. (2023). Metacognition in Community-Dwelling Older Black and African American Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Alzheimer S Disease, 96(1), 301-311. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-221140
Kero, K., Woodard, J. L., Giordani, B., Daugherty, A. M., Shair, S., Hanna, S., DiCerbo, L. M., & Kavcic, V. (2022). Metacognition in Older African American Adults During the COVID‐19 Pandemic. Alzheimer S & Dementia, 18(S8). https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.066425
Lee, Y. H. (2021). The Roles of Different Appraisals in Anxiety and Emotional Exhaustion: A Case of NCAA Division I Head Coaches. The American journal of psychology, 134(3), 269-283. https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.134.3.0269
Li, Y., Hong-chuan, C., Liu, C., & Liu, H. (2022). How Does COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Entrepreneur Anxiety? The Role of Threat Perception and Performance Pressure. Frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1044011
Liu, J., Shen, K., & Li, H. (2019). How State Anxiety and Attentional Bias Interact With Each Other: The Moderating Effect of Cognitive Appraisal. Attention Perception & Psychophysics, 81(3), 694-706. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-018-01650-y
Milne, S. J., Lomax, C., & Freeston, M. H. (2019). A Review of the Relationship Between Intolerance of Uncertainty and Threat Appraisal in Anxiety. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 12. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1754470x19000230
Noda, S., Masaki, M., Kishimoto, T., & Kaiya, H. (2022). Effect of Rejection Sensitivity on the Development of Anxious-Depressive Attack in Japanese Outpatients: The Mediating Roles of Rumination, Social Anxiety, and Depressive Symptoms. Frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1016879
Osborne, M. S., & McPherson, G. E. (2018). Precompetitive Appraisal, Performance Anxiety and Confidence in Conservatorium Musicians: A Case for Coping. Psychology of Music, 47(3), 451-462. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735618755000
Pankowski, D., Wytrychiewicz-Pankowska, K., Pisula, E., Janowski, K., Fal, A., Kisiel, B., & Tłustochowicz, W. (2023). The Role of Cognitive Appraisals and Illness-Related Beliefs in Adaptation to Life With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Variable- And Person-Centered Approach. Current Psychology, 43(4), 3416-3425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04604-2
Ranta, K., Inkinen, M., Laakkonen, E., Ståhl, H.-R., Junttila, N., & Niemi, P. M. (2022). Adolescents’ Interpersonal Cognition and Self-Appraisal of Their Own Anxiety in an Imagined Anxiety-Provoking Classroom Presentation Scenario: Gender Differences. European journal of education and psychology, 57-78. https://doi.org/10.32457/ejep.v15i2.1969
Sharpe, B. T., Obine, E. A. C., Birch, P., Pocock, C., & Moore, L. J. (2024). Performance Breakdown Under Pressure Among Esports Competitors. Sport Exercise and Performance Psychology, 13(1), 89-109. https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000337
Thomas, C. L., & Cassady, J. C. (2019). The Influence of Personality Factors, Value Appraisals, and Control Appraisals on Cognitive Test Anxiety. Psychology in the Schools, 56(10), 1568-1582. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22303
Wu, H., Yue, C., Cao, F., Long, Y., & Wang, Y. (2024). Self-Processing Characteristics From First-Person and Third-Person Perspectives in Individuals With Social Anxiety Disorder: Insights Into Negative Bias. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1283624
Zhao, T., & Xi, L. (2024). Competitive Psychological Climate and Foreign Language Anxiety in Junior High School Learners in China: Roles of Control-Value Appraisals, and Cognitive Reappraisal. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241240676
