Examining Rejection Sensitivity as a Predictor of Optimum Health: A Locale-Based Study

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22304937

Gurleen Kaur Bajwa, Asha Chawla Thakral, and Deepika Vig (Department of Human Development & Family Studies, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab)

This study looked at rejection sensitivity as a predictor of optimum health in 460 adolescents from both urban and rural settings. The sample was chosen at random from Government Senior Secondary Schools located in the three districts of Ludhiana, Patiala, and Sangrur in Punjab’s Malwa area. The data was gathered using a self-structured socio-personal information sheet, Fear of Rejection Scale (Nafees & Jahan, 2018) and Optimum Health Scale (Kumar & Bala, 2016). Various statistical tools were used, including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, Z-test, and Karl Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The results showed that adolescents from rural areas had far higher levels of rejection sensitivity, people-pleasing inclinations, and overall fear of rejection as compared to their urban counterparts. Adolescents living in urban areas, on the other hand, showed noticeably higher physical, spiritual, and general health. Additionally, among both urban and rural adolescents, a significant negative correlation was discovered between overall fear of rejection and mental health, suggesting that greater fear of rejection was linked to worse mental health. These results emphasized how crucial it is to address rejection sensitivity to support improved mental health and overall optimum health among adolescents in various settings.