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<p>Perceived social rejection is a robust risk factor for loneliness across the lifespan; yet the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying this association may differ by age. This study investigated whether withdrawal-related threat sensitivity mediates the relationship between perceived rejection and loneliness in younger and older adults and whether distinct brain regions are associated with this pathway. A total of 249 participants (141 younger adults aged 18–34&#xa0;years and 108 older adults aged 60–89&#xa0;years) completed questionnaires assessing perceived rejection, withdrawal-related threat sensitivity, and loneliness, and underwent structural MRI. Higher perceived rejection was associated with greater withdrawal-related threat sensitivity and loneliness, and withdrawal-related threat sensitivity partially mediated the association between perceived rejection and loneliness in both age groups. Older adults reported lower mean levels of withdrawal-related threat sensitivity and loneliness, but the indirect behavioral association did not differ reliably by age group. Exploratory neuroimaging analyses suggested that gray matter volume in several regions in self-referential and social-perceptual processing (i.e., left angular gyrus, left precuneus, left subparietal sulcus, left planum temporale, and right superior temporal sulcus) was associated with loneliness through perceived rejection and withdrawal-related threat sensitivity. In exploratory analyses, age-sensitive indirect effects were observed in the left precuneus and left planum temporale, with significant effects evident only in younger adults. These findings provide preliminary evidence that withdrawal-related threat sensitivity may explain the association between perceived rejection and loneliness across adulthood, while age differences may be more evident in mean levels and exploratory structural correlates than in the behavioral pathway itself.</p>

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Withdrawal-related threat sensitivity mediates associations between perceived rejection and loneliness: Divergent neural correlates in younger and older adults

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月6日

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  • Lulu Liu,
  • Runyu Huang,
  • Yu-Jung Shang,
  • Shijie Li,
  • Yushan Cen

摘要

Perceived social rejection is a robust risk factor for loneliness across the lifespan; yet the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying this association may differ by age. This study investigated whether withdrawal-related threat sensitivity mediates the relationship between perceived rejection and loneliness in younger and older adults and whether distinct brain regions are associated with this pathway. A total of 249 participants (141 younger adults aged 18–34 years and 108 older adults aged 60–89 years) completed questionnaires assessing perceived rejection, withdrawal-related threat sensitivity, and loneliness, and underwent structural MRI. Higher perceived rejection was associated with greater withdrawal-related threat sensitivity and loneliness, and withdrawal-related threat sensitivity partially mediated the association between perceived rejection and loneliness in both age groups. Older adults reported lower mean levels of withdrawal-related threat sensitivity and loneliness, but the indirect behavioral association did not differ reliably by age group. Exploratory neuroimaging analyses suggested that gray matter volume in several regions in self-referential and social-perceptual processing (i.e., left angular gyrus, left precuneus, left subparietal sulcus, left planum temporale, and right superior temporal sulcus) was associated with loneliness through perceived rejection and withdrawal-related threat sensitivity. In exploratory analyses, age-sensitive indirect effects were observed in the left precuneus and left planum temporale, with significant effects evident only in younger adults. These findings provide preliminary evidence that withdrawal-related threat sensitivity may explain the association between perceived rejection and loneliness across adulthood, while age differences may be more evident in mean levels and exploratory structural correlates than in the behavioral pathway itself.