abstract: Those who have borderline personality disorder (BPD), and those who have subclinical levels of BPD features, experience distress and impairment in important life domains, especially in their interpersonal interactions. It is critical to understand the factors that alleviate BPD symptoms in order to help affected individuals lead healthier lives. Rejection sensitivity and sleep disturbance are two factors that may maintain or exacerbate BPD symptoms, yet new research indicates socially supportive relationships are related to symptom remission. While extensive research exists on the interpersonal impairments associated with borderline personality pathology, little research exists on how individuals with BPD or BPD features perceive and experience their social support. The present study examined the relationships between BPD features, perceived social support, sleep quality, and rejection sensitivity in a racially diverse, large sample of primarily college-aged individuals (N = 396). Results indicated that BPD features had a significant positive relationship with self-reported rejection sensitivity and a significant negative relationship with self-reported perceived social support. Additionally, BPD features had a significant positive relationship with sleep disturbance. Sleep disturbance did not moderate the relationship between BPD features and rejection sensitivity as expected; however, the regression of rejection sensitivity on BPD features and sleep disturbance was significant. Finally, sleep disturbance moderated the relationship between BPD features and rejection sensitivity. Results extend and replicate recent research findings on the possible mechanisms that may maintain and alleviate BPD symptoms. Furthermore, the moderating effect of sleep disturbance on perceived social support for those with higher levels of BPD features is unique to this study. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Counseling Psychology 2016

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Rejection sensitivity (RS) can have significant effects on interpersonal relationships. Previous research has shown the negative social effects of RS, but less is known about the cognitive implications of having high levels of RS. The current study examined the effect of RS on various event-related potential (ERP) components associated with performance monitoring (error-related negativity, ERN; feedback-related negativity, FRN) and attention (P300; late positive potential, LPP). Participants completed a social or nonsocial Flanker task and an emotional Stroop task. Results showed an increased ERN on error trials for individuals with higher RS. Although the FRN, P300, and LPP were not influenced by RS, FRN was influenced by an expectancy-valence interaction. FRN amplitude was also sensitive to condition, with correct feedback eliciting significantly more negative FRN in the social condition compared to the nonsocial condition; FRN for unexpected feedback was also greater in the social condition. Overall, the results suggest a relationship between error monitoring and RS, as well as a relationship between social information and feedback processing. Future research should further explore the potential relationship between rejection sensitivity and attention throughout goal-directed tasks.

Understanding normative developmental patterns in romantic relationships within cultural-historical contexts is a vital research agenda, and contemporary relationships develop amid pervasive socio-technological advancements. The role of technology in relationship functioning is relevant as romantic relationships are among the most important types of relationships and technology may substitute proximity, a core imperative of the attachment system. This study described patterns of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in young adult romantic relationships. Specifically, we hypothesized that core relational and personality constructs were linked to participants’ interpretations and reactions to CMC. Participants were 97 college students who provided global scores for rejection sensitivity, attachment representations, relationship satisfaction, and data about CMC with their romantic partner. Participants were prompted twice daily for two weeks to respond to questions assessing the nature and reaction to their most recent CMC with their romantic partner. Participants used texting more than any other CMC and communicated with romantic partners more than all others combined. Participants’ high relationship and communication satisfaction remained relatively constant. The 97 participants completed 1,616 mobile responses. Reported response latency was higher for men than women. Significant negative correlations emerged between interaction ratings, rejection sensitivity, and both insecure attachment dimensions. Regression analyses revealed only main effects for response latency and insecure attachment in predicting interaction ratings for women. No significant interactions emerged between response latency and attachment/response latency. For men, insecure attachment representations and rejection sensitivity demonstrated direct effects on interaction ratings. Avoidant attachment and response latency demonstrated a statistically significant interaction. Response latency and the interaction rating were negatively related only for men who scored low in avoidance. This study contributes to the body of literature assessing outcomes and qualities of romantic relationships in emerging adulthood. Technological communication is a key feature of young couples’ communication and appears more prevalent in romantic relationships than other relationships. Additionally, core relational and personality characteristics are substantially correlated to interpretations of momentto- moment interactions via technology.

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Playful teasing is an ancient form of interaction that now occurs through computer-mediated communication. Teasing through short message service texting is examined conceptually and empirically in this dissertation. Teasing and computer-mediated communication are framed in the theoretical lens of social information processing in Chapter 1. The development of study materials and stimuli to examine teasing through texting, using iterative focus groups and online pilot data collection, are detailed in Chapter 2. The two studies that examined message features, social context, and rejection sensitivity in the context of playful teasing via texting are presented in Chapter 3. The influence of two commonly used message features (the “winking face with tongue” emoji and the “lol” initialism) on teasing text message interpretation, compared to unadorned texts, were investigated in Study 1. Rejection sensitivity was also examined in relation to interpretation. Texts with the emoji contributed to more positive interpretations compared to texts with the “lol” initialism or unadorned texts, providing the first evidence that emoji and initialism function differently in the context of teasing. The influence of social context (the sender-receiver relationship) on the interpretation of teasing texts, and the relationship between message interpretation and rejection sensitivity were examined in Study 2. Teasing texts sent by close friends were rated more positively than those from acquaintances. In both studies, higher rejection sensitivity was related to more negative interpretations of teasing texts, however, teasing texts with the emoji did not show this pattern. The studies’ findings are discussed in Chapter 4 in the context of social information processing theory and in practice, examining implications for individuals with rejection sensitivity and practices for text message composition.

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Learning about romantic relationships can be one of the central features of adolescence. However, there are not many useful and scholarly tools for adolescents to evaluate themselves and their relationship competence. Such tools can be helpful in the premarital education process. READY is a premarital assessment questionnaire instrument that is used for such purposes but it was designed for use with adults ages 18 and over. In this study READY for Adolescents (READY-A) was developed as a revision and extension of READY with age-appropriate questions to be used with adolescents. A review of literature on adolescent romantic relationships and factors that affect the adolescent's individual competence in these relationships was completed for this study. Based on the ecosystemic developmental theory and developmental theory of interpersonal competence, characteristics found important to adolescent romantic relationships were grouped into two categories: individual characteristics of the adolescent and contextual factors of the adolescent's life. Individual characteristics included the sub-factors of relationship cognitions, emotional awareness, rejection sensitivity, personality traits, and sexual conservativism. Contextual factors were deal with the adolescent's family of origin and same sex/best friendships. An item pool previously created for a similar questionnaire (RELATE for Adolescents, Young, 2002) was reviewed, edited, and expanded to be made suitable for the purposes of READY-A. The items were reviewed by a panel of experts (all professors with extensive background in premarital research and members of the RELATE Board) in order to assess face validity and content validity and to omit items deemed inappropriate, repetitive or unnecessary. This process resulted in the creation of a 141-item questionnaire, READY-A. Additional research will need to further validate READY-A, test for reliability, and further refine the questionnaire through pilot testing with a group of adolescents. READY-A may be helpful to adolescents who are learning about what it takes to develop romantic relationship competence. The main purpose of READY-A is for educational settings; however, it could also be of use to family life educators, premarital counselors or clergy working with adolescents.

Sensitivity to rejection is a tendency to anxiously or angrily expect, readily perceive, and then overreact to rejection in interpersonal relationships (Downey & Feldman, 1996). This thesis examined the potential associations between rejection sensitivity and romantic relationships in an adult population. I hypothesized that rejection sensitivity will negatively influence perceived quality of romantic relationship, including these relational factors: viability, intimacy, passion, care, satisfaction, conflict, maintenance and commitment. In the research participated 296 respondents (i.e. 148 couples), which individually completed Sensitivity to rejection scale and Relationship rating form (both measures used in Czech translation). On the basis of individual analysis of all respondents (i.e. the whole sample) were found most significant negative correlations with the viability factor and care factor. Furthermore, also the low negative correlation between sensitivity to rejection and satisfaction and commitment factors. At the level of couples were not confirmed either one statistically significant result. Although hypothesis about the influence of sensitivity to rejection on the romantic relationship were confirmed only at the individuals, and not at the individual couples, this study suggest the...