Anxious solitude and peer exclusion predict social helplessness, upset affect, and vagal regulation in response to behavioral rejection by a friend.

Full Abstract

It was hypothesized that combined individual child vulnerability (anxious solitude) and interpersonal stress (peer exclusion) would predict the strongest responses to experimentally manipulated behavioral peer rejection. Results indicated that in a sample of 3rd graders (N = 160, 59% girls), anxious solitary excluded children displayed more behavioral manifestations of social helplessness before and after behavioral rejection, reported more feelings of rejection in anticipation of and reaction to behavioral rejection, and were observably more upset during behavioral rejection than were normative children. Moreover, affective responses to behavioral rejection mediated the relation between anxious solitary excluded status and behavioral manifestations of social helplessness. Furthermore, anxious solitary excluded children versus anxious solitary children demonstrated excessive suppression of vagal tone and more sustained acceleration in heart rate during the experiment. Results also indicated that affective, social-cognitive, and regulatory processes directly contributed to children's responses to behavioral rejection.

Author information

Author/s: Gazelle, Heidi (H); Druhen, Madelynn J (MJ);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA. heidi_gazelle(-atsign-)uncg.edu

Grants: K01 MH076237 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Developmental psychology (Dev Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Jul; vol 45 (issue 4) : pp 1077-96

Dates: Created 2009/07/09; Completed 2009/09/14;

PMID: 19586181, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 9/14/2009, IMS Date: )

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