The ‘scars’ left on children by exclusion, but re‐inclusion may ‘heal up’

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that social exclusion can have negative effects on the well‐being of children and adolescents. However, there is inconsistent evidence regarding how the impact of social exclusion changes with age. This study used the Cyberball paradigm to investigate the effects of exclusion and subsequent inclusion on primary needs (such as belonging, self‐esteem, control and meaningful existence) and emotions (including happiness, sadness and anger) in a sample of Chinese school‐aged children (163 children aged 6–8, 8–10 and 10–11). The results revealed that children aged 6–8 showed lower susceptibility to ostracism, while threats to primary needs emerged around the ages of 8–10 and persisted until 10–12. Negative effects on moods were evident from the age of 6–8 and intensified with age. Brief inclusion following exclusion was found to effectively restore the primary needs and moods of ostracized children, serving as a reliable intervention for promoting rapid recovery. However, age‐related differences were observed in the restorative effects of re‐inclusion, with 8‐ to 10‐year‐olds benefiting more compared to 10‐ to 12‐year‐olds. These findings provide valuable insights for educational institutions seeking to create supportive environments that help children recover from the detrimental effects of ostracism.Highlights Ostracism can be detrimental to the primary needs and moods of school‐aged children. There are developmental changes in the effects of ostracism on children's primary needs and moods, and 8–10 years old may be a critical period. Re‐inclusion can effectively restore the damaged primary needs and moods of excluded children, but its effect is also age‐dependent.