Rejection in romantic relationships: Does rejection sensitivity modulate emotional responses to perceptions of negative interactions?

BACKGROUND: Rejection is a highly stressful experience and individuals tend to avoid it whenever possible. In intimate relationships, experiences of rejection can shape the interaction dynamics between partners. Highly rejection sensitive people fear that their romantic partner will reject them and they overreact to any ambiguous cues that might indicate rejection. Furthermore, because they focus on the threat of rejection, they may have difficulty disengaging from rejection-related emotions, persevere in a rejection-focused state and have a reduced capacity to regulate their emotions. The prolonged experience of strong negative emotions, together with maladaptive attempts to respond to rejection, may undermine key relationship maintenance processes that contribute to relationship functioning and lead to negative reciprocity in interactions. The goal of the present study was to shed light on how individuals experience rejection-related emotions and determine whether, following perceptions of negative interactions, rejection sensitivity was associated with stronger negative responses and less efficient downregulation of negative emotions. In addition, we examined whether dyadic patterns of rejection sensitivity were associated with negative emotion dynamics following perceptions of negative interactions. METHODS: The participants (N = 298) were couples experiencing the transition to parenthood. A multilevel modelling approach was used to assess the associations between rejection sensitivity, perceptions of negative interactions and emotional states. The analyses included repeated daily reports for both rejection and emotions. RESULTS: The results suggest that rejection sensitive individuals do not report higher negative emotions when they perceive negative interactions. Moreover, rejection sensitive men and women did not remain longer in a negative emotional state after they perceived negative interactions with their partner. Finally, when both men and women partners reported higher levels of rejection sensitivity, neither reported having higher negative emotions after experiencing negative interaction perceptions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide further insights into emotional dynamics and rejection sensitivity in romantic relationships. Our results do not provide evidence for a link between rejection sensitivity and higher negative emotions or slower recovery after reports of negative interactions. If individuals suppress their emotions, they may not benefit from regulation with their partner and instead may protect themselves over their relationships. However, in this context, rejection sensitivity might also not constitute a strong predictor of daily emotion fluctuations, but other variables- such as relationship satisfaction - might. Future research may investigate emotional responses in a sample with higher levels of rejection sensitivity and use more diverse measures of perceptions of negative interactions.

Ghosting: Social rejection without explanation, but not without care.

Many social ties end when one side rejects the other, but rejection does not need to happen directly. Ghosting-the act of ending a relationship by ignoring another person's attempts to connect-is a common way of ending social ties. The present experiments first establish the key characteristics of ghosting and distinguish it from other rejection behaviors (Pilot Studies 1a-1c). The experiments then proceed to explore the relational and motivational implications of this behavior, finding that ghosters (those who ghost) care about the well-being of ghostees (those who are ghosted) more than ghostees realize. This result occurs in recalled instances of ghosting (Experiment 1), when ghosting in real time (Experiment 2), and when refraining from ghosting is monetarily costly (Experiment 3). We find that this occurs partly because ghostees underestimate the other-oriented motives involved in ghosting, misunderstanding that ghosters ghost partly as a way to end a tie while avoiding hurting ghostees' feelings (Experiments 4-6). Indeed, greater other-oriented motives lead to a higher likelihood of ghosting others (Experiment 7). A final experiment finds relational consequences whereby ghostees miss out on opportunities for future help exchange due to their underestimation of the extent to which ghosters care about them (Experiment 8). Ghosting is social rejection without explanation or feedback, but not without care. This study highlights how prosocial motives can drive rejection behaviors and the role of interpersonal accuracy in mitigating the negative effects of social rejection. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Female adolescents' early life stress and body mass index: Differential effects of anger and anxiety in response to rejection.

INTRODUCTION: Early life stress is linked to childhood obesity. As children enter adolescence, early life stress may be associated with increased rejection sensitivity, resulting in activation of behavioral and physiological changes that contribute to higher body mass index (BMI). Understanding the potential influence of rejection sensitivity on the association between early life stress and BMI is important to examine in female adolescents. For this secondary data analysis, we hypothesized that female adolescents with greater early life stress and greater rejection sensitivity would exhibit higher BMI-for-age 12 months later. METHODS: Seventy-eight adolescents (Mage = 13.1 years; 100% female sex; MBMI = 23.2 kg/m2) in the United States completed study procedures from 2012 to 2016. Among these procedures, the Psychosocial Schedule was used to assess cumulative early life stress and the Children's Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire was used to assess anger and anxiety in response to rejection. Twelve months later, height and weight were measured to derive BMI-for-age. RESULTS: Higher early life stress was associated with higher BMI-for-age among female adolescents with low rejection-provoked anger (1 SD below the mean). However, this association was not observed among female adolescents with high rejection-provoked anger (1 SD above the mean). Finally, there was no significant interaction between early life stress and rejection-provoked anxiety in predicting BMI-for-age. CONCLUSIONS: Experiencing early life stress may interact with rejection-provoked anger, but not anxiety, to predict BMI-for-age. Findings inform a developmental perspective of how rejection sensitivity may influence the association between early life stress and early cardiometabolic risk.

Effects of Parental Psychological Control on Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help in Senior High School Students: Serial Mediating Effects of Rejection Sensitivity and Social Withdrawal.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the serial mediating effects of rejection sensitivity and social withdrawal on parental psychological control and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among senior high school students. In November 2022, 648 students completed a self-report questionnaire. The parental psychological control scale, senior high school students' rejection sensitivity scale, social withdrawal scale, and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help scale were used for measurement. Correlation analysis showed parental psychological control and rejection sensitivity were positively correlated with social withdrawal (r = 0.387, 0.466, 0.495, all p < 0.001). Parental psychological control and rejection sensitivity were significantly negatively correlated with social withdrawal and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help (r = -0.325, -0.324, -0.397, all p < 0.001). Mediating effect analysis indicated that parental psychological control had a significant direct effect on attitude toward seeking professional psychological help, and rejection sensitivity and social withdrawal had significant serial mediating effects among parental psychological control and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help in senior high school students. These aspects warrant attention as they play significant roles in influencing students' willingness to seek psychological assistance. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 62(7), 47-55.].

Profiles of Peer-Rejected Individuals: Their Attitudes toward the Intellectual Disability Population and the Mediating Role of Resilience.

Literature shows that public perceptions toward people with intellectual disability (ID) tend to be negative, perhaps more so than toward any other population with disabilities, causing severe consequences on the quality of life of these people. Understanding factors associated with these attitudes may contribute to better integration of the ID population into society. This study focuses on the predictive role of school-age peer rejection and contemporaneous familial support on attitudes toward people with ID. Specifically, it aims to identify distinct profiles of people who experienced peer rejection during their school years and who experienced various levels of familial support during the rejection period, and to examine the disparities between these profiles regarding attitudes toward people with ID. An additional goal is to examine whether resilience can mediate the association between profiles of peer-rejected individuals and their attitudes toward individuals with ID. The research sample comprised 1063 Israeli adults reporting various levels of peer rejection during school years. Cluster analysis revealed two profiles of peer-rejected individuals that significantly differ in the level of familial support provided in the face of peer rejection. In accordance with the hypotheses, attitudes of peer-rejected individuals with poor familial support were more negative than those with high familial support and the mediating effect of resilience was significant. Findings emphasize the protective role of familial support in the face of peer rejection, contributing to the emerging literature that deals with the long-term effects of peer rejection and poor resiliency resources on negative attitudes toward out-groups.

Relations among Memories of Parental Acceptance-Rejection, Psychological (Mal)Adjustment, Forgiveness, and Vengeance among Iranian Adults.

The study investigated relations among adults' memories of parental acceptance-rejection in childhood and adults' current dispositions toward forgiveness and vengeance, as mediated by psychological (mal)adjustment. Data were collected from 258 adults (female = 183, Age range = 17-47 years; Mage = 39; SD = 11.4). Measures used were the short forms of the maternal and paternal Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaires (PARQ), the short form of the Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ), the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), the Vengeance Scale (VS-10), and a Personal Information Form (PIF). Results showed that maternal and paternal rejection was positively associated with psychological maladjustment and negatively correlated with forgiveness for both men and women. Moreover, psychological maladjustment showed a negative relation with forgiveness and a positive relation with vengeance. Findings revealed that parental (maternal and paternal) rejection was not significantly associated with vengeance for men. However, maternal (not paternal) rejection was significantly associated with a vengeance for women. Path analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of maternal and paternal rejection on forgiveness and vengeance through psychological maladjustment. Results found no significant gender differences in the path analyses. Findings are discussed considering the Iranian culture and religious beliefs. Implications of the results and future research directions are discussed.

Relations of Parental Acceptance-Rejection and Psychological (Mal)Adjustment with Forgiveness and Vengeance among Bangladeshi Young Adults.

The study investigated whether adults' memories of parental acceptance-rejection in childhood predict their current levels of forgiveness and vengeance as mediated by psychological (mal)adjustment. The data were collected from 252 young adults (Women = 137, Men = 115, Age range = 18 - 22 years; Mage = 19.42; SD = 0.99). Measures used were the Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) short form for fathers and mothers, the Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ) short form for adults, the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), the Vengeance Scale (VS-10), and the Personal Information Form. Mediation analysis indicated that memories of maternal and paternal rejection predicted vengeance as mediated by psychological maladjustment among both men and women. Further, women's and men's memories of parental (both maternal and paternal) acceptance predicted forgiveness as mediated by psychological adjustment.

Relations between Parental Acceptance-Rejection and Forgiveness/Vengeance as Mediated by Psychological Adjustment among Egyptian Adults.

The study investigated relations among parental (maternal and paternal) acceptance-rejection and dispositions toward forgiveness and vengeance, as mediated by psychological (mal)adjustment. Data were collected using convenience sampling from 341 adults (87% females) ranging from 18 years to above 52 years old. Measures used were short forms of the maternal and paternal Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaires (PARQ) to investigate recollections of parental acceptance-rejection, the short form of the Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ) to evaluate which participants were psychologically (mal)adjusted, the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), the Vengeance Scale (VS-10) to investigate levels of forgiveness and vengeance respectively, and a Personal Information Form (PIF). The results indicated that participants perceived significant signs of paternal rejection and substantial maternal acceptance during childhood. Men and women self-reported fair psychological adjustment. Women reported having no disposition toward vengeance, whereas men slightly leaned toward vengeance. Participants were equally likely to be unforgiving as forgiving. Psychological adjustment mediated the relations between maternal acceptance (but not paternal acceptance) and forgiveness among men and women. Psychological maladjustment mediated the relations between maternal rejection and vengeance among women, but not men. Psychological maladjustment did not mediate relations between paternal rejection and vengeance. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed.

Prevalence of internet addiction and psychological factors in adolescents during the covid-19 pandemic / Prevalência de dependência da internet e fatores psicológicos em adolescentes durante a pandemia de covid-19 / Prevalencia de la adicción a internet y factores psicológicos en adolescentes durante la pandemia de la covid-19

Addictive behaviors related to Internet are becoming more common and this tool has been essential once it enables home office, entertainment, homeschooling, and easy access to information. Despite the easiness brought by technology, the exaggerated use has affected users in different ways, including in the development of psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to assess internet addiction, depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), attention, impulsivity, and stress in 48 adolescents (26 young women and 22 young men), aged from 15 to 18 years, with a mean age of 16.74 (0.61), mostly students of public schools, during COVID-19, to investigate correlations between these variables according to sex and sociodemographic aspects. To assess the factors, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT); the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale (SNAP-IV) Questionnaire ; the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale for brazilian adolescents (EDAE-A); the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11); and a sociodemographic questionnaire were applied. The data collection was performed in schools located in southern Brazil. The results indicated that 12 out of 48 adolescents were considered addicted to the Internet. Moreover, Internet addiction was a predictor of depression in regression analysis (p<0.001). In addition, participants classified as more addicted to the Internet scored lower averages in general attention (p<0.035) and higher averages in behavioral symptoms of inattention and ADHD (p<0.050), stress (p<0.003), anxiety (p<0.016), and depression (p<0.015), with effect sizes ranging from moderate to high. Therefore, the intense internet use by adolescents might cause psychological consequences such as depression in adolescents. Family support and professional intervention might help in the reduction of symptoms and consequences of internet addiction as well as in its prevention.(AU)

A dependência de internet é cada vez mais comum, pois essa ferramenta tem se tornado imprescindível, uma vez que possibilita home office, entretenimento, educação domiciliar e fácil acesso às informações. No entanto, o uso exagerado da tecnologia afeta os usuários de diversas formas, inclusive no desenvolvimento de transtornos psiquiátricos. Este estudo visou avaliar a dependência de internet, depressão, ansiedade, hiperatividade, atenção, impulsividade e estresse em 48 adolescentes (26 meninas e 22 meninos) de 15 a 18 anos, com idade média de 16,74 (0,61), estudantes de escolas públicas do Sul do Brasil durante a covid-19, para investigar correlações entre as variáveis anteriores de acordo com gênero e aspectos sociodemográficos. Para avaliar, aplicou-se o Internet Addiction Test (IAT), um teste de atenção, escala SNAP IV, escala de depressão, ansiedade e estresse para adolescentes (EDAE-A), escala de impulsividade de Barratt e um questionário sociodemográfico. Os resultados indicaram que 12 adolescentes foram considerados viciados em internet, e que a dependência desta foi preditora da depressão na análise de regressão (p < 0,001). Ainda, os participantes classificados como adictos tiveram médias mais baixas em atenção geral (p < 0,035) e mais altas em sintomas comportamentais de desatenção e hiperatividade (p < 0,050), estresse (p < 0,003), ansiedade (p < 0,016) e depressão (p < 0,015), com efeitos que variaram de moderado a alto. Portanto, o uso intenso da internet por adolescentes pode ter consequências psicológicas, como a depressão. Bom apoio familiar e intervenção profissional podem ajudar na redução dos sintomas e consequências, bem como na prevenção da dependência.(AU)

La adicción a Internet es cada vez más habitual, puesto que esta herramienta es esencial para el trabajo remoto, el entretenimiento, la educación domiciliar y el fácil acceso a la información. Sin embargo, su uso exagerado afecta a la vida de las personas de diferentes maneras, incluso en el desarrollo de trastornos psiquiátricos. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la adicción a Internet, depresión, ansiedad, hiperactividad, atención, impulsividad y estrés en 48 adolescentes (26 muchachas y 22 muchachos), de entre 15 y 18 años, con una edad promedio de 16,74 (0,61), en su mayoría estudiantes de escuelas públicas del Sur de Brasil, durante la pandemia de la COVID-19, para investigar las correlaciones entre las variables mencionadas según género y aspectos sociodemográficos. Para evaluar los factores, se aplicaron el Test de Adicción a Internet (TAI), un test de atención, la escala SNAP IV, la Escala de Depresión, Ansiedad y Estrés para adolescentes (EDAE-A), la escala de impulsividad de Barratt y un cuestionario sociodemográfico. Los resultados indicaron que 12 adolescentes fueron considerados adictos a Internet, además, la adicción a Internet fue un predictor de la depresión en el análisis de regresión (p<0,001). Igualmente, los participantes clasificados como más adictos a Internet tuvieron promedios más bajos en atención general (p<0,035), y más altos en síntomas conductuales de falta de atención e hiperactividad (p<0,050), estrés (p<0,003), ansiedad (p<0,016) y depresión (p<0,015), con efectos que varían de moderado a alto. Por lo tanto, el uso intenso podría producir consecuencias psicológicas como la depresión en los adolescentes. Tener un buen apoyo familiar e intervención profesional puede ayudar a reducir los síntomas y las consecuencias de la adicción a Internet, así como prevenirla.(AU)

Relations among Memories of Parental Acceptance-Rejection, Psychological (Mal)Adjustment, Forgiveness, and Vengeance among Turkish Adults.

The study investigated relations among memories of parental (maternal and paternal) acceptance-rejection, forgiveness, and vengeance, as mediated by psychological (mal)adjustment. The sample consists of 323 Turkish adults (50% females; Age range: 18-61 years; Mage = 35.73, SD = 10.41) from Istanbul, Turkiye. Participants responded to mother and father versions of the adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (adult PARQ; short form), the adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (adult PAQ; short form), the Heartland Forgiveness Scale, the Vengeance Scale, and the Personal Information Form. The results showed that both men and women remembered their parents as substantially warm and accepting during childhood and self-reported having fair psychological adjustment. Men and women were found to be equally likely to be forgiving as unforgiving and reported no dispositions toward vengeance. However, men reported higher levels of vengeance as compared to women. Psychological adjustment mediated the relations between parental acceptance and forgiveness, while psychological maladjustment mediated the relations between parental rejection and vengefulness for women and men. Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

Memories of Parental Acceptance and Rejection Predict Forgiveness and Vengeance in the Muslim World: Introduction and Overview.

The studies in this special issue on forgiveness and vengeance in the Muslim world explore three hypotheses drawn from interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory): (1) Adults' memories of maternal and paternal acceptance in childhood are associated with the disposition toward forgiveness, as mediated by psychological adjustment. (2) Adults' memories of maternal and paternal rejection in childhood are associated with the disposition toward vengeance, as mediated by psychological maladjustment. (3) There are no significant gender differences in relations between adults' (men's and women's) memories of parental acceptance-rejection in childhood and adults' disposition toward forgiveness or vengeance, as mediated by psychological (mal)adjustment. Results of most studies reported here conclude that memories of parental (maternal and paternal) acceptance in childhood are significantly related to men's and women's disposition toward forgiveness and vengeance as mediated by psychological (mal)adjustment. However, gender and cultural differences also sometimes appear as significant contributors.

Recreating diasporic identity and community: Examination of transgender and nonbinary latinx healing from family rejection.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of healing from family rejection among transgender and nonbinary Latinx individuals. Participants were asked how they navigated family dynamics related to gender identity and specific behaviors or resources that promoted their healing from experiences of family rejection. Data from 12 interviews with Latinx nonbinary and transgender adults were analyzed through a critical-constructivist grounded theory method resulting in a hierarchy composed of three clusters related to the core category (healing from family rejection leads to the recreation of diasporic identity and community as one learns to live authentically in their ethnic/racial gendered expression). These clusters included recreation of the family system, community-based cultural healing, and autonomy in trans identity and psychological well-being. Relevant contributions to research and implications for psychologists are reviewed: (a) Latinx diasporic identity formation is facilitated through the reconstruction of familial relationships and cultural healing, and (b) chosen family and supportive community networks may adopt the responsibility of ethnic-racial socialization after proximity to family of origin is lost. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Rejection sensitivity in severe alcohol use disorder: Increased anxious anticipation of rejection.

Rejection sensitivity (RS) reflects the disposition to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and disproportionately react to rejection. It is linked to interpersonal problems and psychopathological symptoms, which are frequent in severe alcohol use disorder (SAUD) and are known to influence clinical outcomes. Consequently, RS has been put forward as a process of interest in this disorder. However, empirical studies investigating RS in SAUD are scarce and focused on its last two components, leaving the core process of anxious expectations of rejection unexplored. To fil this gap, 105 patients with SAUD and 73 age-and-gender-matched controls completed the validated Adult Rejection Sensitivity Scale. We computed anxious anticipation (AA), and rejection expectancy (RE) scores, corresponding to the affective and cognitive dimensions of anxious expectations of rejection, respectively. Participants also completed measures of interpersonal problems and psychopathological symptoms. We found that patients with SAUD had higher AA (affective dimension) but not RE (cognitive dimension) scores. Moreover, AA was associated with interpersonal problems as well as psychopathological symptoms in the SAUD sample. These findings meaningfully extend the RS and social cognition literatures in SAUD by showing that difficulties already arise at the anticipatory stage of socio-affective information processing. Moreover, they shed light on the affective component of anxious expectations of rejection as a novel, clinically relevant process in this disorder.

Novelty rejection in episodic memory.

Episodic memory theories have postulated that in recognition, a probe is accepted or rejected on the basis of its global similarity to studied items. Mewhort and Johns (2000) directly tested global similarity predictions by manipulating the feature compositions of probes-novelty rejection was facilitated when probes contained novel features even when other features strongly matched, an advantage dubbed the extralist feature effect, which greatly challenged global matching models. In this work, we conducted similar experiments using continuously valued separable- and integral-dimension stimuli. Analogs of extralist lures were constructed where one stimulus dimension contained a value that was more novel than the other dimensions, whereas overall similarity was equated to another class of lures. Facilitated novelty rejection for lures with extralist features was only found for separable-dimension stimuli. While integral-dimension stimuli were well described by a global matching model, the model failed to account for extralist feature effects with separable-dimension stimuli. We applied global matching models-including variants of the exemplar-based linear ballistic accumulator-that employed different means of novelty rejection afforded by separable-dimension stimuli, including decisions based on the global similarity of the individual dimensions and selective attention being directed toward novel probe values (a diagnostic attention model). While these variants produced the extralist feature effect, only the diagnostic attention model succeeded in providing a sufficient account of all of the data. The model was also able to account for extralist feature effects in an experiment with discrete features similar to those from Mewhort and Johns (2000). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Impacto psicosocial del diagnóstico del VIH/sida en la familia / Psychosocial Impact of the HIV/AIDS Diagnosis on the Family

Introducción: En la historia de la humanidad nunca antes una pandemia había causado tanta desolación y tristeza ni destruido a tantas familias con un impacto psicosocial tan alarmante. Objetivo: Determinar el impacto psicosocial del diagnóstico del VIH/sida en las familias de pacientes con ese diagnóstico. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo transversal en las familias de pacientes con el diagnóstico del VIH/sida en el policlínico Armando García Aspurú, de Santiago de Cuba, desde enero del 2018 a enero del 2019. El universo estuvo constituido por las 26 familias que tuvieran al menos un miembro enfermo. Resultados: Las vías más frecuentes de información por las que la familia se enteró fueron por el mismo paciente, seguido de la información por los servicios de salud. La reacción de la familia ante la noticia fue la esperanza de que no fuera cierto, seguido por la depresión y la angustia. En las creencias que manifiesta la familia sobre el VIH prevalecieron las opiniones de que la enfermedad la adquieren personas de vida desorganizada. Sobre las pérdidas laborales, académicas y/o sociales sufridas por la aparición del VIH, 84,6 por ciento refirió rechazo a nivel de la pareja. Ante la estigmatización, la familia determina no hablar de la enfermedad por miedo al rechazo y sensación de vergüenza. Conclusiones: La infección por VIH/sida trasciende con multiplicidad de consecuencias en variados niveles. Los grandes impactos se relacionan con la familia, donde la estigmatización juega un papel fundamental como intensificador de la conducta familiar y social(AU)

Introduction: Never before in the history of humankind had a pandemic caused so much desolation and sadness or destroyed so many families with such an alarming psychosocial impact. Objective: To determine the psychosocial impact of the HIV/AIDS diagnosis on the families of patients with this diagnosis. Methods: An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in the families of patients with the HIV/AIDS diagnosis in the Armando García Aspurú polyclinic, of Santiago de Cuba, from January 2018 to January 2019. The study universe was made up of the 26 families with at least one sick member. Results: The most frequent ways of information by which the family found out were from the patient herself/himself, followed by information from the health services. The family's reaction to the news was hope that it was not true, followed by depression and anguish. In the beliefs expressed by the family about HIV, there was a prevalence of opinions related to the idea that the disease is acquired by people with a disorganized life. Regarding occupational, academic or social losses suffered due to the appearance of HIV, 84.6 percent reported rejection from her/his couple. Before stigmatization, the family determines not to talk about the disease, due to fear of rejection and the feeling of shame. Conclusions: HIV/AIDS infection transcends with a multiplicity of consequences at various levels. The major impacts are related to the family, where stigmatization plays a fundamental role as an intensifier of family and social behavior(AU)

Direct and displaced aggression after exclusion: role of gender differences.

The present studies consider the influence of exclusion on aggressive behavior depending on the target of the aggression and the gender of the aggressor. Previous studies have shown that after exclusion, aggressive behavior occurs toward the excluder as well as toward innocent bystanders. However, there is also evidence that men have a greater tendency toward direct aggression and women have a greater tendency toward displaced aggression. In Studies 1 (N = 89) and 2 (N = 120), participants were ostracized, in Studies 3 (N = 88) and 4 (N = 133), participants were rejected. Then, aggressive behavior toward the excluder or bystander was measured. The results confirmed the gender differences hypothesis, but only in the case of ostracism. After ostracism, more retaliatory aggression was observed in men, and more displaced aggression was noted in women. Rejection resulted in generalized aggressive behavior directed toward the excluder and the bystander in men and women. The results are discussed in light of Sexual Selection Theory.

Stretched Kinship: Parental Rejection and Acceptance of Queer Youth in Chinese Families.

Kinship has been the primary concern among young queer people in today's China and other parts of Asia under the strong and ongoing familism, who often find it challenging to come out and negotiate their sexuality with their parental family. This paper adopts the concept of stretched kinship to critically analyze the digital videos released by PFLAG China (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in China) from 2015 to 2020, focusing on the experiences of the parents in their responses to young people's coming out. It both extends and challenges the concept of stretched kinship by turning the spotlight from queer youth to their parents-a topic often overlooked in queer Asian and Chinese studies-to examine how Chinese parents reject and accept their queer child contextualized in the rapid and ongoing social change in twenty-first-century China and Asia.

Racismo e construção da carreira: estratégias de enfrentamento adotadas por universitários negros / Racism and career construction: coping strategies adopted by black undergraduates / Racismo y construcción de la carrera: estrategias de afrontamiento que utilizan los universitarios negros

O racismo é um fenômeno que impacta a vida da população negra, direcionando-a para uma condição de marginalização social, inclusive profissionalmente. Diante disso, o presente estudo, qualitativo, objetivou analisar as estratégias de enfrentamento ao racismo adotadas por universitários negros de uma instituição pública de ensino superior no processo de construção de suas carreiras. Adotando-se como referencial a Teoria de Construção da Carreira, 27 entrevistas semiestruturadas foram conduzidas com graduandos (16 do gênero feminino e 11 do gênero masculino) autodeclarados negros de uma universidade situada na região Sudeste do Brasil. Os dados coletados foram submetidos a Análise de Similitude, por meio do software IRaMuTeQ, que demonstrou, a partir de uma árvore máxima, que os discursos dos participantes estiveram centrados no termo "racismo" e em quatro troncos de similitude relacionados aos vocábulos: "negro", "falar", "situação" e "acontecer". Os resultados indicaram que o racismo é um dos fatores que impactam a carreira dos sujeitos, sobretudo por sustentar práticas discriminatórias veladas e limitar oportunidades profissionais. Em resposta a ele, quatro estratégias de enfrentamento foram identificadas: a) diálogo com sujeitos próximos; b) busca por suporte junto à rede de apoio constituída na universidade; c) denúncia de seus impactos; e d) adoção de ações individuais de transformação da realidade. Os achados permitem identificar a adoção de diferentes estratégias individuais e coletivas de enfrentamento ao racismo, que devem ter seu desenvolvimento estimulado pelas instituições de ensino superior, a fim de que se tornem práticas sistematizadas que favoreçam a discussão sobre o fenômeno em âmbitos acadêmico e profissional.(AU)

The phenomenon of racism impacts the lives of Black population, leading them to social marginalization, including professionally. Thus, this qualitative study analyzes the coping strategies adopted by Black undergraduates from a public higher education institution to confront racism during career construction. Adopting the Career Construction Theory as a framework, 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted (16 women and 11 men) with self-declared black undergraduates from a university located in southeastern Brazil. Similarity analysis of the collected data, performed using the IRaMuTeQ software, showed that, from a maximum tree, the participants' speeches centered around the term "racism" and on four similarity trunks related to the words: "black", "talk", "situation" and "happen". Results indicated that racism majorly impacts the subjects' careers, especially by upholding veiled discriminatory practices and limiting professional opportunities. To cope with it, undergraduates adopt four main strategies: a) dialogue with close subjects; b) search for support with the support network established at the university; c) denunciation of its impacts; and d) adoption of individual strategies to transform reality. The findings point to different actions, individual and collective, adopted to fight racism, whose development should be supported by higher education institutions so that they become systemic practices that favor discussing the phenomenon in academic and professional fields.(AU)

El racismo es un fenómeno que impacta la vida de la población negra, llevándola a una condición de marginación social, incluso a nivel profesional. Así, este estudio cualitativo, tuvo por objetivo analizar las estrategias de afrontamiento el racismo que utilizan los universitarios negros de una Institución Pública de Educación Superior en el proceso de construcción de sus carreras. Tomando como referencia la Teoría de Construcción de Carrera, se realizaron 27 entrevistas semiestructuradas a estudiantes (16 mujeres y 11 hombres) autodeclarados negros de una universidad en la región Sureste de Brasil. Los datos recolectados se sometieron a un Análisis de Similitud, desarrollado utilizando el software IRaMuTeQ, que demostró, a partir de un árbol máximo, que los discursos de los participantes se centraron en el término "racismo" y en cuatro troncos de similitud relacionados con las palabras: "negro", "hablar", "situación" y "pasar". Los resultados indicaron que el racismo es uno de los factores que impactan la carrera, especialmente por sostener prácticas discriminatorias veladas y limitar las oportunidades profesionales. En respuesta a ello, se identificaron cuatro estrategias de afrontamiento: a) diálogo con sujetos cercanos; b) búsqueda de apoyo en la red constituida en la universidad; c) denuncia de sus impactos; y d) adopción de acciones individuales para transformar la realidad. Los hallazgos permiten identificar la adopción de diferentes estrategias, individuales y colectivas, para enfrentar el racismo, las cuales deben tener su desarrollo estimulado por las instituciones de educación superior, para que se conviertan en prácticas sistematizadas que favorezcan la discusión del fenómeno en el ámbito académico y profesional.(AU)

Falsa acusação de abuso sexual na alienação parental: luto ou melancolia? / False accusation of sexual abuse in parental alienation: mourning or melancholia? / Falsa acusación de abuso sexual en la alienación parental: ¿luto o melancolía?

Este artigo apresenta como principal objeto de estudo a falsa acusação de abuso sexual no contexto da alienação parental para, diante dela, estabelecer a seguinte problemática: será possível propor uma eventual correlação entre si e os processos psíquicos do luto e da melancolia? Neste sentido, a partir do recurso teórico ao referencial psicanalítico de Freud e de Laplanche, debate as circunstâncias que norteiam o discurso levado ao Judiciário pelo genitor alienante valorizando em tal movimento não apenas a realidade material da prova, tão importante no campo jurídico, mas também a realidade psíquica ditada pelo inconsciente, a qual se pauta em uma noção de verdade que, na sua vinculação direta com a particularidade de cada sujeito e com o dinamismo das relações específicas que ele estabelece consigo mesmo e com os outros, coloca em xeque as certezas positivistas da norma. Em termos conclusivos, destaca o quanto, a despeito da atual literatura existente sobre alienação parental no Brasil a correlacionar, em regra, a um luto mal elaborado por parte do alienante, é possível e mesmo desejável cogitar também a presença da melancolia - ou, mais especificamente, de traços melancólicos intermediários - na formação e desenvolvimento desse fenômeno.(AU)

This article presents as the main object of study the false accusation of sexual abuse in the context of parental alienation, to establish the following problem: would it be possible to propose a probable correlation between parental alienation and the psychic processes of mourning and melancholia? In this sense, based on the psychoanalytic theoretical framework of Freud and Laplanche, the article discusses the circumstances that guide the discourse taken to the judiciary branch by the alienating parent, valuing in such action not only the material reality of the evidence, which is very important in the legal field, but also the psychic reality dictated by the unconscious, which is guided by a notion of truth that, in its direct connection with the particularity of each subject and with the dynamism of the specific relations that they establish with themselves and others, threatens the positivist certainties of the norm. In conclusive terms, it highlights how, despite the current existing literature on parental alienation in Brazil generally correlates it to a poorly elaborated mourning by the alienating person, it is possible and even desirable to also consider the presence of melancholia-or, more specifically, of intermediate melancholic traits-in the formation and development of this phenomenon.(AU)

Este artículo presenta como principal objeto de estudio la falsa acusación de abuso sexual en el contexto de alienación parental, con el fin de responder al siguiente planteamiento: ¿Es posible proponer una posible correlación entre la alienación parental y los procesos psíquicos de duelo y melancolía? Para ello, desde el marco psicoanalítico de Freud y de Laplanche, se discuten las circunstancias del discurso llevado al Poder Judicial por el padre alienante, que valora en tal movimiento no solo la realidad material de la prueba, tan importante en el campo jurídico, sino también la realidad psíquica dictada por el inconsciente, el cual se guía por una noción de verdad que, en su conexión directa con la particularidad de cada sujeto y con el dinamismo de las relaciones específicas que establece consigo mismo y con otros, pone en jaque las certezas positivistas de la norma. En la conclusión, destaca cómo, a pesar de la literatura actual existente sobre la alienación parental en Brasil, en general, la correlaciona con un duelo mal diseñado por parte de la persona alienante, es posible e incluso deseable considerar la presencia de la melancolía -más específicamente, de rasgos melancólicos intermediarios- en la formación y desarrollo de este fenómeno.(AU)