Validation of the French Version of the Children Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire

Details

Supervisors

Douilliez, Céline ; Grimm, Elise

Faculty

Faculté de psychologie, logopédie, sexologie et des sciences de la famille

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences psychologiques, à finalité approfondie

Abstract

Rejection sensitivity (RS) is characterized by anxious expectations, readier perceptions, and over-reactions to rejection. Based on Bowlby’s attachment model, RS develops during childhood and adolescence. Several studies have shown that RS may have dramatic consequences, such as loneliness, avoidance, social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and low self-esteem. It is therefore essential to have an instrument to measure RS in children and adolescents. However, no scale has been validated in French. The aim of this study is to validate a French translation of the short version of the Children’s Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (CRSQ; Downey et al., 1998). In a first step, the forward-backward procedure was used to translate the CRSQ. In a second step, 332 participants, aged 11 to 18 and enrolled in Belgian general secondary schools, answered scales assessing depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and self-esteem scale in addition to the CRSQ. The internal consistency of the CRSQ-French version was satisfactory with a Cronbach’s α = .73 and an Omega’s coefficient of Ω = .72. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed poor fit indices. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was inconclusive. Further research should focus on the subjectively reported emotions and on the physiological measurement of emotions in a possible rejection situation. In this way, a new adapted version of the questionnaire could then be developed and submitted to a new validation study that will hopefully enable us to better understand and support those most likely to be affected by rejection sensitivity.