Left out, sluggardly, and blue: Low self-control mediates the relationship between ostracism and depression

C. Nathan DeWall, Rich Gilman, Vicki Sharif, Inga Carboni, Kenneth G. Rice

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

Ostracism strikes at the core of well-being, often increasing depression. Yet, it is unclear whether low self-control may account for the relationship between ostracism and depression. When people experience ostracism, they lose their willingness to control their impulses. This lack of self-control may have negative consequences for ostracized people's mental health, including their level of depressive symptoms. Using two large, independent samples of young adolescents (Ns = 918 and 487), we examined whether chronic ostracism would relate to lower self-control, which may predict higher levels of depressive symptoms. We found that in both samples, self-control mediated the relationship between ostracism and depressive symptoms. Further, the relationship between self-control and depressive symptoms was moderated by the level of ostracism. Discussion centers on the role of self-control processes in understanding and reducing the negative consequences of ostracism.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)832-837
Number of pages6
JournalPersonality and Individual Differences
Volume53
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2012

Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • Depression
  • Ostracism
  • Self-control
  • Self-regulation
  • Social exclusion
  • Social rejection

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychology (all)

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