The effects of social exclusion on emotion regulation, basic needs, well-being, and ill-being
Examining the moderating role of childhood trauma
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22232116 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Asma Rashid (0009-0005-4172-7710, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"), Sebastiano Costa (0000-0002-2392-6039, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"), Jolene Van Der Kaap‐deeder (0000-0003-1035-3195, Utrecht University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2662-9992 • E-ISSN: 2662-9992 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1057/s41599-025-06220-w |
| OpenAlex | W4416675343 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 66 |
Although previous research showed social exclusion to be detrimental to psychological functioning, less is known about which factors could make individuals more or less vulnerable to these effects. Employing the Self-Determination Theory as a theoretical framework, this study aimed to examine whether childhood trauma intensifies or mitigates the impact of social exclusion on emotion regulation, basic psychological needs, well-being, and ill-being. An online experiment was conducted, thereby manipulating experienced social exclusion through the Cyberball paradigm. Data were collected through self-reports among 162 participants (Mage = 23.69, SDage = 2.80) who were randomly assigned to either a social exclusion or inclusion condition. Besides higher levels of perceived social exclusion, participants in the exclusion condition reported higher ill-being than those in the inclusion condition (with no significant differences observed in terms of the other outcomes). Results further showed childhood trauma to be positively associated with emotion dysregulation and ill-being, and negatively associated with need satisfaction and well-being. Moreover, childhood trauma moderated the effect of social exclusion on well-being, indicating that high childhood trauma was associated with similar levels of well-being in the exclusion and inclusion condition, whereas individuals with low childhood trauma displayed lower well-being in the exclusion (vs. inclusion) condition. The present study expands current knowledge and deepens our understanding by illuminating the role of childhood trauma as a moderator in the immediate distress caused by social exclusion and the long-term consequences on mental health
Distress · Inclusion and exclusion criteria · Moderation · Ostracism · Social exclusion · Social isolation · Social rejection · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Resilience and Mental Health
Self-Determination Theory
Basic psychological need theory
Ostracism
Childhood trauma and adult mental disorder
Social media ostracism
Psychometric analysis of the brief symptom inventory 18 (BSI-18) in a representative German sample
Child trauma exposure and psychopathology
Effects of maltreatment on coping and emotion regulation in childhood and adolescence
Cyberball
The Ordinal Effects of Ostracism
Effect Size and Power in Assessing Moderating Effects of Categorical Variables Using Multiple Regression
Psychological Well-Being and Ill-Being
Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1
Emotion Regulation
Evaluating Effect Size in Psychological Research
Basic psychological need satisfaction, need frustration, and need strength across four cultures
Why Don’t You Answer Me?! Exploring the Effects of (Repeated Exposure to) Ostracism via Messengers on Users’ Fundamental Needs, Well-Being, and Coping Motivation
Relation between psychological flexibility, emotional intelligence and emotion regulation in adolescence
Cyber-ostracism and wellbeing
Ostracism in Real Life
Direct and displaced aggression after exclusion
On the Occurrence of Standardized Regression Coefficients Greater Than One
Child Maltreatment as a Risk Factor for Rejection Sensitivity
Belongingness as a Core Personality Trait
Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being
Age-related differences in emotional reactivity, regulation, and rejection sensitivity in adolescence
Emotional competence and extrinsic emotion regulation directed toward an ostracized person
Scales of depression, ill-being and the quality of life—is there any difference? An assay in taxonomy
A Network Analysis Approach to Understanding the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Wellbeing Later in Life
The Childhood Trauma and Late Adolescent Rejection Sensitivity
Social exclusion and multi-domain well-being in Chinese migrant children
The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits
The relation between short-term emotion dynamics and psychological well-being
The need to belong
The Mental Health Continuum
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |