The Journal of Early Adolescence, Ahead of Print.
The present study investigated the role of rejection sensitivity (i.e., rejection expectancy, anxious anticipation) and exposure to relational victimization within the friendship group in conformity intentions. For 353 fourth and fifth grade students, self-reported friendship groups were used with peer nomination procedures to assess experienced and witnessed relational victimization from friendship group members. Participants completed a rejection sensitivity questionnaire and responded to hypothetical vignettes to assess intentions to conform to changes in friendship group trend-following, troublemaking, and academic behaviors. Effects of rejection sensitivity and relational victimization on conformity intentions varied across behavior domains. Higher anxious anticipation was associated with higher academic conformity but lower troublemaking conformity, whereas higher rejection expectancy was associated with lower academic and trend-following conformity intentions. Rejection expectancy moderated the relation between relational victimization and academic conformity; relational victimization was positively associated with academic conformity intent when rejection expectancy was high (+1 SD).