Rejection Sensitivity and Experiential Avoidance Upcoming Psychosocial Correlates among Emerging Adults with Social Anxiety

Recent trends have consistently highlighted the associations among rejection sensitivity, experiential avoidance, and social anxiety among emerging adults, however, there is a paucity of literature that highlights the combined role of rejection sensitivity and experiential avoidance on social anxiety. The present study aims to bridge this gap by determining the predictive value of rejection sensitivity and experiential avoidance towards social anxiety among emerging adults. Hence, an ex-post facto research design was chosen wherein 195 university students were selected for the assessment of the study variables using the Social Phobia Inventory, Adult-Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire. The results indicated that rejection sensitivity was found to predict 12%, experiential avoidance predicted 16%, and taken together they predicted 28% of variance in social anxiety among the emerging adults. Moreover, the correlation statistics found rejection sensitivity (r=0.29, p<.001) and experiential avoidance (r=0.47, p<.001) to be significantly associated with social anxiety. These findings have utility for mental health professionals during the intervention in clinical and counselling setups.