Neurodivergent Experiences of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria Expose the Environmental Factors too Often Overlooked

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Sandland, B. (2025). Neurodivergent Experiences of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria Expose the Environmental Factors too Often Overlooked. Neurodiversity, 3. https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330251394516

Publication date: 1 Nov 2025 Added to AutiHub: 25 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
1
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 1 (100.0%)
  1. Barbara Sandland *

Abstract

The term rejection sensitive dysphoria has gained popularity recently, providing a language to discuss a phenomenon and find solace in shared experiences. Despite this, there is a lack of consensus in definition and application across medical, academic, and informal environments. This study addresses this research gap, centralising lived experiences of a small group of neurodivergent adults, alongside the shared neurodivergent standpoint of the researcher. Exploring what rejection sensitive dysphoria means to the individual and how it is experienced. By employing this novel approach, this research proposes a new conceptualisation of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria as a phenomenon impacted by biological and environmental factors. This critical insight challenges the current essentialist positionality and associated terminology, which could positively impact policy and practice. While this research is limited in scale and therefore not statistically generalisable, the significant findings offer an important foundation for future research. Highlighting that such research, should prioritise the neurodivergent experience, within a balanced biological and environmental framework. Recognising that people, and environments, like schools, cause, trigger and sustain the experiences labelled as rejection sensitive dysphoria is a vital first step towards better support for adults now and creating more inclusive environments to improve the lives of future generations. Lay Abstract Over recent years the term Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria has grown in popularity, especially among the neurodivergent community. Despite this, we know very little about what Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria means to the people that are using it. We also know that the term is used differently by different people, which can cause confusion and limit our understanding further. Within this research, a neurodivergent researcher worked alongside seven other neurodivergent adults to discuss what Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria meant to them and how they experienced it in their day-to-day lives. Through the sharing of these experiences the researcher was able to identify that environmental factors, such as other people, were central to how Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria developed and was experienced. This is an important finding, as it challenges current literature that may discuss it as an unavoidable part of being neurodivergent or with language that can suggest neurodivergent emotional responses are in some way faulty, therefore unfairly placing the blame for these experiences solely on the neurodivergent individual. This research includes the experiences of a small group of neurodivergent adults, so it is recognised that more research is needed. It is important however, that such research embraces the balanced biological and environmental viewpoint proposed based on the findings shared here. As recognising that other people, and environments, like schools, cause, trigger and sustain the experiences we label as Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria is a vital first step towards better support for adults now, and towards creating more inclusive environments that will improve the lives of future generations.

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These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 01:40.

Cited references
58
With a DOI
44
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
14
4 / 58 (6.9%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
5 / 58 (8.6%)
References with detected author names
54 / 58 (93.1%)
Without detected author names
4
Without a structured title
5
Without a stable identifier
14
References with raw author names still to review
4
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
153
From DOI or external metadata
153
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
4
38 / 153 (24.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 115 / 153 (75.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
5 / 153 (3.3%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 5 / 38 (13.2%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 5 / 146 (3.4%).
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