Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (RSQ)

The RSQ (8) was used to assess RS, which measures two components (expectations and anxiety) in 20 hypothetical situations, in which an individual is susceptible to rejection by an important other. The cognitive component of RS (rejection expectancy) is assessed by rating on a six-point Likert scale how strongly the person expects a response of either acceptance or rejection from others (1 = very unlikely; 6 = very likely). The affective component (rejection anxiety) is assessed on a 6-point Likert scale by how anxious or concerned the subject would be regarding this response (1 = very unconcerned; 6 = very concerned). Scoring total score was for each situation (item) by multiplying the level of rejection anxiety by the reverse of the level of rejection expectancy and then averaging the resultant values across the 20 scenarios. The mean scores for anxiety and expectation for rejection are ranged from 1 to 6, and the total score is ranged from 1 to 36. Higher scores reflect greater sensitivity to rejection. RSQ was adapted for application in clinical and non-clinical samples. In this study, we used an adapted 20-item German version of RSQ with well-documented internal consistency (α = 0.88) (33). Cronbach's alpha in the present study was 0.94 for the total score (for the subscales anxiety α = 0.93; expectations α = 0.92).