An examination of the ability of gender, relational victimization, and rejection sensitivity to predict level and subjective experience of depression

This study investigates whether gender, relational victimization, and rejection sensitivity significantly predict college students' self-reported levels and types of depression (anaclitic or introjective). A total of 314 college students from a Midwestern University participated in this study. Students completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale, Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, and the Direct and Indirect Prisoner Behaviour Checklist - Revised, Retrospective Version. A multivariate regression analysis was conducted to predict both level and type of depression from gender, relational victimization, and rejection sensitivity. Univariate regression analyses were also conducted to independently predict level and type of depression from gender, relational victimization, and rejection sensitivity. The multivariate results (Wilk's lambda = .78645, p < .000) point to a combination of the three independent variables (gender, relational victimization, and rejection sensitivity) as being predictive of the dependent variables (level and type of depression). Univariate results indicate that among college students approximately 20.7% of the variance in depression levels can be accounted for by being female, experiencing elevated levels of relational victimization, and being sensitive to rejection. Mean scores on both the rejection sensitivity and relational victimization instruments, however, were not statistically different for males and females. For females who actually had slightly lower scores on those measures, more rejection sensitivity and experience with relational victimization were related to higher levels of depression while the similar male elevated scores on those measures did not relate to significantly higher levels of depression. These results indicate that while males report similar levels of rejection sensitivity and relational victimization, they do not appear to impact them in the same ways as females.