The Relationship Between Chemyon Sensitivity and Loneliness Among Middle-Aged Men: The Sequential Mediating Effects of Rejection Sensitivity and Self-Silencing

ABSTRACT

This study aims to examine the mediating effects of rejection sensitivity and self-silencing in the relationship between chemyon sensitivity and loneliness among middle-aged men. A total of 408 men aged 40 to 59 participated in an online self-report survey. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS PROCESS macro 3.3. The results showed that, first, rejection sensitivity fully mediated the relationship between chemyon sensitivity and loneliness. Second, self-silencing also fully mediated this relationship. Third, rejection sensitivity and self-silencing sequentially mediated the relationship between chemyon sensitivity and loneliness. These findings suggest that higher chemyon sensitivity among middle-aged men increases rejection sensitivity, which in turn heightens self-silencing, ultimately exacerbating feelings of loneliness. This study is significant in that it explores the psychological mechanisms of loneliness in the sociocultural context of South Korean middle-aged men.