Social Peer Rejection Research Articles

Association between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in adolescents during the post COVID-19 pandemic: the mediating role of social peer rejection

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the associations of childhood trauma and its facets with depressive symptoms in depressed adolescents during the post COVID-19 epidemic, and explore the potential mediating role of social peer rejection in these associations. A total of 413 adolescents with depressive disorders completed the Chinese version of the Child Trauma Questionnaire Short Form, the Social Peer Rejection, and the Children’s Depression Inventory. Childhood trauma (β = 0.42, p < 0.01) and social peer rejection (β = 0.18, p < 0.01) were positively related to depressive symptoms, after adjustment for demographic factors. Furthermore, social peer rejection partly mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms, and the mediation effect ratio was 17.0% (p < 0.001). This study found that childhood trauma and social peer rejection are both risk factors for depressive symptoms, and social peer rejection played a mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms.

Influence of Social Status on Academic Performance of Secondary School Students with Disabilities in Kwara State

This study investigated the influence of social status on academic performance of secondary school students with disabilities in Kwara state. The descriptive survey of a correlational type was adopted for this study. The population for the study comprised all secondary school students with disabilities in Kwara State, while 200 students with disabilities constituted a sample for the study. Social Peer Rejection Scale developed by Asher et al.’s (2001) was adapted for this study. The adapted scale was validated and has a reliability coefficient of 0.89. The data collected were analysed using percentage for demographic data and research questions while the two null hypotheses formulated were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). The results of the findings revealed that 87.0% (n=147) of the secondary school students with disabilities were social rejected and as a result, it has negative influence of the academic performance. The findings also showed that social acceptance influences academic performance of students with disabilities in Kwara State. Implications for counselling practice and recommendations were also made.&#x0D;

A defensive mindset: A pattern of social information processing that develops early and predicts life course outcomes.

The hypothesis was tested that some children develop a defensive mindset that subsumes individual social information processing (SIP) steps, grows from early experiences, and guides long-term outcomes. In Study 1 (Fast Track [FT]), 463 age-5 children (45% girls; 43% Black) were first assessed in 1991 and followed through age 32 (83% retention). In Study 2 (Child Development Project [CDP]), 585 age-5 children (48% girls, 17% Black) were first assessed in 1987 and followed through age 34 (78% retention). In both studies, measures were collected of early adverse experiences, defensive mindset and SIP, and adult outcomes. Across both studies, a robust latent construct of school-age defensive mindset was validated empirically (comparative fit index=.99 in each study) and found to mediate the impact of early child abuse (38% in FT and 29% in CDP of total effect) and peer social rejection (14% in FT and 7% in CDP of total effect) on adult incarceration.

The Role of Peer Rejection in Adolescent Internalizing Problems

Emotional distress, such as symptoms of anxiety, depression, and withdrawal, is on the rise among teenagers today. These symptoms are generally grouped into internalizing problems. Based on research, a risk factor that contributes to internalizing problems is peer rejection. This study aims to determine the effect of peer rejection on adolescent internalizing problems. Research design is quantitative research with a multistage random sampling technique as a data collection technique. The subjects of this study were 252 adolescents aged 16-18 years who are currently studying in SMA in Bondowoso Regency, consisting of 103 boys (M = 40.068; SD = 13.283) and 149 girls (M = 40.893; SD =13.283). The instruments used were Social Peer Rejection Measure (21 items, α = .90) and Strengths and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ), just for internalizing problems (10 items, α = .72). The results of the analysis test using simple linear regression showed that there was a positive influence of peer rejection on internalizing problems in high school adolescents in Bondowoso Regency, adjusted R 2 = .278; F(4, 427) = 251, p = .000). This influence shows that the more often adolescents experience rejection from their peers, the higher the chances of experiencing internalizing problems.

Social peer rejection as reflected in drawings and narratives: To what extent does it reflect actual experience? A pilot study

Social peer rejection (SPR) or social exclusion is a prevalent phenomenon. Based on evidence that drawings may reveal unspoken difficulties, the current pilot study attempted to determine the extent to which the drawings and narratives express the child's actual experience of SPR. The final convenient sample consisted of 21 children and youth between the ages of 9–16 who were asked to draw what SPR is for them and then provide a narrative. Also, a self-report questionnaire that included demographics, previous life events including SPR, and the SPR measure, was administered. The drawings and the narratives were analyzed according to a phenomenological method. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify the number of homogenous subgroups according to pictorial features within the overall sample revealed that the majority of the drawings were figurative, included human figures, hurting victim figure and the peer group who rejects. Association between the main themes in the narratives and drawings was found.

Externalizing and internalizing pathways to Mexican American adolescents' risk taking.

This study used four waves of data from a longitudinal study of 749 Mexican origin youths to test a developmental cascades model linking contextual adversity in the family and peer domains in late childhood to a sequence of unfolding processes hypothesized to predict problem substance use and risky sexual activity (greater number of sex partners) in late adolescence. Externalizing and internalizing problems were tested as divergent pathways, with youth-reported and mother-reported symptoms examined in separate models. Youth gender, nativity, and cultural orientation were tested as moderators. Family risk, peer social rejection, and their interaction were prospectively related to externalizing symptoms and deviant peer involvement, although family risk showed stronger effects on parent-reported externalizing and peer social rejection showed stronger effects on youth-reported externalizing. Externalizing symptoms and deviant peers were related, in turn, to risk taking in late adolescence, including problem alcohol-substance use and number of sexual partners. Peer social rejection predicted youth-reported internalizing symptoms, and internalizing was related, in turn, to problem alcohol and substance use in late adolescence. Tests of moderation showed some of these developmental cascades were stronger for adolescents who were female, less oriented to mainstream cultural values, and more oriented to Mexican American cultural values.

Adverse Social Experiences in Adolescent Rats Result in Enduring Effects on Social Competence, Pain Sensitivity and Endocannabinoid Signaling.

Social affiliation is essential for many species and gains significant importance during adolescence. Disturbances in social affiliation, in particular social rejection experiences during adolescence, affect an individual’s well-being and are involved in the emergence of psychiatric disorders. The underlying mechanisms are still unknown, partly because of a lack of valid animal models. By using a novel animal model for social peer-rejection, which compromises adolescent rats in their ability to appropriately engage in playful activities, here we report on persistent impairments in social behavior and dysregulations in the endocannabinoid (eCB) system. From postnatal day (pd) 21 to pd 50 adolescent female Wistar rats were either reared with same-strain partners (control) or within a group of Fischer 344 rats (inadequate social rearing, ISR), previously shown to serve as inadequate play partners for the Wistar strain. Adult ISR animals showed pronounced deficits in social interaction, social memory, processing of socially transmitted information, and decreased pain sensitivity. Molecular analysis revealed increased CB1 receptor (CB1R) protein levels and CP55, 940 stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding activity specifically in the amygdala and thalamus in previously peer-rejected rats. Along with these changes, increased levels of the eCB anandamide (AEA) and a corresponding decrease of its degrading enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) were seen in the amygdala. Our data indicate lasting consequences in social behavior and pain sensitivity following peer-rejection in adolescent female rats. These behavioral impairments are accompanied by persistent alterations in CB1R signaling. Finally, we provide a novel translational approach to characterize neurobiological processes underlying social peer-rejection in adolescence.

Gender and the Interplay of Source of Support and Peer Social Rejection on Internalizing Among Mexican American Youth.

Gendered interpersonal processes may explain the elevated rates of internalizing symptoms among adolescent girls relative to boys. Two such processes are peer social rejection and social support. The current study assessed for gender differences in the effect of 7th grade peer social rejection on 10th grade internalizing symptoms, as well as the moderating effects of social support from family and from friends in a sample of 749 (49 % female) Mexican American adolescents, an understudied population with a unique social culture. Peer social rejection significantly predicted increased internalizing symptoms for girls. Although buffering effects of social support were not found, there were significant moderating effects of both sources of support for boys, such that at low levels of social support, peer social rejection was associated with decreased internalizing symptoms, and at high levels of social support, peer social rejection was associated with increased internalizing symptoms. The results help unpack the nuances of the interpersonal processes that lead to differential adjustment for adolescent boys and girls at this critical developmental stage.

Adolescent peer-rejection persistently alters pain perception and CB1 receptor expression in female rats

Peer-interactions are particularly important during adolescence and teenagers display enhanced sensitivity toward rejection by peers. Social rejection has been shown to induce alterations in pain perception in humans. However, the neurobiological consequences of adolescent social rejection have yet to be extensively characterized, and no appropriate animal model is available. Here, we propose inadequate playful interactions in adolescent rats as a novel animal model for social peer-rejection and examine potential long-term consequences into adulthood. Acute social pairing of female adolescent Wistar rats with an age-matched rat from the less playful Fischer344 strain was found to alter social play and decrease pain reactivity, indicating Fischer rats as inadequate social partners for Wistar animals. Therefore, in a second experiment, adolescent female Wistar rats were either reared with another Wistar rat (adequate social rearing; control) or with a Fischer rat (inadequate social rearing; play-deprived). Beginning on day 50, all Wistar rats were group housed with same-strain partners and tested for behavioral, neurobiological and endocrine differences in adulthood. Playful peer-interactions were decreased during adolescence in play-deprived animals, without affecting social contact behavior. Consequently, adult play-deprived rats showed decreased pain sensitivity and increased startle reactivity compared to controls, but did not differ in activity, anxiety-related behavior or social interaction. Both groups also differed in their endocrine stress-response, and expression levels of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor were increased in the thalamus, whereas FAAH levels were decreased in the amygdala. The present animal model therefore represents a novel approach to assess the long-term consequences of peer-rejection during adolescence.

Measuring Social Peer Rejection during Childhood: Development and Validation

This article defines the construct of social peer rejection and describes the development of the Social Peer Rejection Measure. Social peer rejection entails being rejected, excluded, ostracized, or criticized by one's peers; lack of active sympathy and active dislike on the part of one's peers; ignoring; preventing access to friends, playtime activities, toys, or important information; verbal aggression; commands; and blaming the rejected child. Evidence for the validity and reliability of the scale is presented. Results indicated strong content validity, construct validity, and criterion-referenced validity. Differences were found between females and males in terms of insult, accusation, and reported levels of physical attack.

Victimized at Home Revictimized by Peers: Domestic Child Abuse a Risk Factor for Social Rejection

The study aimed to inquire to what extent types of domestic child abuse (DCA) are risk factors to social peer rejection (SPR). In addition, the role of personal resources in terms of psychological consequences with either experience was examined. A convenience sample of 1,155 (301 males, 854 females) university students were administered a self-report questionnaire which consisted of: Demographics, Traumatic Events Questionnaire, DCA Experiences, SPR Scale, PTS symptoms scale, Social Phobia Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Potency Scale, and Perceived Social Support Scale. Results indicated that domestic physical abuse and emotional abuse are risk factors to social peer rejection which is itself a risk factor for psychological distress. Personal resources buffer the negative psychological consequences of each of the negative experiences.

Translating models of antisocial behavioral development into efficacious intervention policy to prevent adolescent violence

Adolescent chronic antisocial behavior is costly but concentrated in a relatively small number of individuals. The search for effective preventive interventions draws from empirical findings of three kinds of gene-by-environment interactions: (1) parenting behaviors mute the impact of genes; (2) genes alter the impact of traumatic environmental experiences such as physical abuse and peer social rejection; and (3) individuals and environments influence each other in a dynamic developmental cascade. Thus, environmental interventions that focus on high-risk youth may prove effective. The Fast Track intervention and randomized controlled trial are described. The intervention is a 10-year series of efforts to produce proximal change in parenting, peer relations, social cognition, and academic performance in order to lead to distal prevention of adolescent conduct disorder. Findings indicate that conduct disorder cases can be prevented, but only in the highest risk group of children. Implications for policy are discussed.

Peer Rejection During Adolescence: Psychological Long-Term Effects—A Brief Report

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine the psychological long-term effects of social peer rejection (SPR) experienced during adolescence as retrospectively perceived by young adults. A convenient sample of 387 undergraduate university students were administered self-report questionnaires consisting of the following measures: demographic variables, traumatic life events, SPR, PTSD, depression, potency and the belief in the existence of social support. Results indicated that about one-third of the participants reported having experienced SPR during adolescence. They perceived it as their most traumatic event. SPR and the belief in the existence of social support determined the PTSD severity, whereas the SPR, potency, and PTSD determined the level of depression.

The Socioemotional Adjustment of Adolescents with LD in the Kibbutz During High School Transition Periods

This study examined several aspects of the socioemotional experiences (i.e., loneliness, social skills, reciprocal friendship, reciprocal rejection, and social status) of adolescents with and without learning disabilities in an Israeli kibbutz environment during school transition periods. The sample consisted of 106 students with learning disabilities (LD; 74 boys and 32 girls) and 101 students without learning disabilities (NLD; 62 boys and 39 girls) drawn from seventh grade (i.e., early adolescence) and ninth grade (i.e., middle adolescence). The results revealed that seventh- and ninth-grade adolescents with LD received more social peer rejection than did NLD group adolescents, and students with LD were judged by their teachers to exhibit lower social skills and higher behavioral problems than their classmates. No significant group differences were found on loneliness, but an age-related increase in loneliness feelings was noted, which was independent from group membership and gender. Gender differences on self-report, peer ratings, and teachers' ratings on social measures in favor of girls were demonstrated. The discussion focuses on the potential impact of school transitions and of the developmental environment provided in the kibbutz on adolescents' socioemotional functioning and adjustment.

The Role of Aggression in Peer Relations: An Analysis of Aggression Episodes in Boys' Play Groups

Although aggression is frequently cited as a major cause of peer social rejection, no more than half of all aggressive children are rejected. Aggressive episode data from experimental play groups of 7- and 9-year-old black males were coded to examine whether qualitative aspects of aggressive behavior, as well as frequency of aggression, determine the relation between aggressiveness and peer rejection. Reactive aggression and bullying were related to peer status among 9-year-olds, but not 7-year-olds, whereas instrumental aggression was characteristic of highly aggressive, rejected boys at both ages. Qualitative features of aggressive interaction suggested a greater level of hostility toward peers and a tendency to violate norms for aggressive exchange among rejected, aggressive boys at both ages in contrast to other groups of boys. The descriptive data provide a distinctive picture of reactive, instrumental, and bullying aggression as well as differing social norms for target and aggressor behavior in each of these 3 types of aggression.