Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of cognitive appraisal in the relationship between rejection sensitivity and anxiety symptoms in female university students. Methods and Materials: This research was a descriptive-correlational study using structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all female students at universities in Tehran, and a sample of 400 was selected based on Morgan’s table through convenience sampling. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess rejection sensitivity, cognitive appraisal, and anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and SEM via SPSS-27 and AMOS-21. Findings: Results indicated significant positive correlations between rejection sensitivity and cognitive appraisal (r = 0.41, p < .01), cognitive appraisal and anxiety symptoms (r = 0.47, p < .01), and rejection sensitivity and anxiety symptoms (r = 0.54, p < .01). The structural model demonstrated good fit (CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.052). Path analysis confirmed that cognitive appraisal significantly mediated the relationship between rejection sensitivity and anxiety symptoms (indirect effect = 0.16). Conclusion: The findings suggest that cognitive appraisal serves as a significant mediating mechanism through which rejection sensitivity influences anxiety symptoms. Cognitive-based psychological interventions may help reduce anxiety in female students with high rejection sensitivity.
Shahmaleki et al. (Mon,) studied this question.