Rejection Sensitivity and Social Anxiety during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The present study was aimed at determining the relationship in rejection sensitivity and social anxiety in young adults of Pakistan, considering the present situation of the pandemic. It was hypothesized that there is likely to be a positive correlation in rejection sensitivity and social anxiety. And that sensitivity towards rejection would significantly positively predict social anxiety. Through the purposive sampling technique, the data was collected by 222 individuals (N=222), 161 women and 61 men (M_age=21.81, SD=2.03) through online Google forms. The measures included adult rejection sensitivity questionnaire and social interaction anxiety scale. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed that rejection sensitivity had a significant positive correlation with social anxiety (α=.05). The linear regression analysis revealed that sensitivity to rejection was a positive predictor of anxiousness in social situations (α=.05). Conclusively, both the hypotheses were supported by the findings and futuristically it was suggested to incorporate extraneous variables and devise management plans based on rejection sensitivity’s effect on anxiousness in social settings.