Development and Validation of the Sexual Minority Adolescent Rejection Sensitivity Scale Short Form

This study aimed to shorten and validate the Sexual Minority Adolescent Rejection Sensitivity Scale. Three studies were conducted to evaluate its reliability and validity. In Study One, the full 14-item scale was tested in 490 LGBTQ+ young adults, resulting in the selection of six high-performing items. In Study Two, the 6-item short form was assessed for criterion, convergent, and incremental validity in a sample of 369 LGBTQ+ young adults. Structural validity was confirmed with the bifactor model showing excellent fit, though model fit was slightly worse for those assigned male at birth. Criterion validity showed moderate correlations with anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as minority stress variables such as internalized homonegativity and emotion dysregulation. Convergent validity with general rejection sensitivity was not supported. Incremental validity showed that the short form significantly improved predictions of anxiety and stress, but had limited predictive power for depression. In Study Three, test-retest reliability was assessed in a sample of 192 participants, showing moderate stability over a one-month period. Overall, the short form demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including good structural, criterion, incremental, and test-retest reliability, making it a practical tool for research on sexual orientation-related rejection sensitivity across sexually diverse LGBTQ+ populations.