A Comparative Study of Resilience and Rejection Sensitivity among Working and Non-Working Married Women

Abstract

The present study aimed to compare the areas of Resilience and Rejection sensitivity in working and non-working married female population of District Haripur and Abbottabad. The study used a quantitative cross-sectional survey design and convenience sampling was used for the selection of the respondents. The total number of married women in the study was 300 that includes 151 employed women and 149 who were not employed, ranging in ages from 25 years to above 50 years. The Brief Resilience Scale (Smith et al., 2008) and the Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (Downey & Feldman, 1996) were both used in the administration of two well-established psychological instruments. Independent sample t-tests showed that women who were employed were more resilient and less rejection sensitive than those who were not. A Pearson correlation also yielded a significant negative correlation between the two variables with the women who had higher scores on the resilience category having lower scores on the rejection sensitivity category. The results further indicate that there is a protective psychological effect of occupational involvement for married women. The results have further implications for psychologists, counsellors and policymakers as it highlights the need for resilience building interventions and supportive work and family environments to improve the psychological health of married women.