Rejection sensitivity as a mediator of the relationship between experienced rejection and borderline characteristics

• Experienced rejection, rejection sensitivity and borderline traits were examined.
• Rejection sensitivity mediated the relation between rejection and borderline traits.
• Social support was identified as additional significant mediator.
• We hypothesize rejection sensitivity to be a crucial factor in the etiology of BPD.

Experiences of rejection in childhood play an important role in the etiology of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Additionally, individuals who report borderline symptoms report high levels of rejection sensitivity. The current study aimed to disentangle the relationship between experiences of rejection, rejection sensitivity and borderline characteristics. Therefore, we retrospectively assessed experiences of parental and peer rejection, collected data of self-reported rejection sensitivity and social support and prospectively investigated borderline characteristics in a sample of 193 students. Results indicated that rejection sensitivity fully mediated the previously significant relationship between experiences of parental rejection and borderline characteristics, whereas peer rejection maintained a significant effect on borderline traits. Social support was identified as a protective factor. Results indicated a crucial role of rejection sensitivity in borderline symptomatology.