Unanimous versus partial rejection: How the number of excluders influences the impact of ostracism in children.

Previous research has shown that ostracism-the experience of being ignored and excluded-has negative effects on all of us, young and old. Using a Cyberball paradigm, the present research replicates the effects of ostracism on the moods (anger, anxiety, happiness, and anger) and fundamental needs (belongingness, control, meaningful existence, and self-esteem) of children (Study 1) and then extends the literature by examining the role of the number of ostracizers and inclusive members in this process by randomly assigning children to conditions varying in degree of ostracism (Study 2). Results of both studies showed that experiencing ostracism strongly and negatively affected all moods and fundamental needs-with the exception of anxiety.

Pitfalls of the peer world: how children cope with common rejection experiences.

This study examines the reliability and validity of a newly developed self-report measure designed to assess children's coping strategies in response to everyday rejection experiences. The Survey for Coping with Rejection Experiences (SCORE) was administered to 225 children and factor analysis of responses resulted in the conceptually meaningful subscales of active, aggressive, denial, and ruminative coping. A subset of 95 children also completed a battery of self- (depression, social anxiety), parent- (internalizing and externalizing problems), and peer- (social preference, aggression, withdrawal) ratings of socioemotional adjustment.

Peer rejection, social behavior, and psychological adjustment in children with juvenile rheumatic disease.

Objective: To examine the associations among disease status, social competence, and depressive symptoms in children with juvenile rheumatic disease (JRD) and to test the hypothesis that individual differences in children's social competence account for a significant proportion of variance in depressive symptoms after controlling for disease status variables.

Method: Thirty-six children with JRD completed standardized instruments to assess pain, health status, and depressive symptoms. The rheumatologist completed a disease severity measure, and teachers provided ratings of peer rejection and social behavior.

Defense mechanisms and psychological adjustment in childhood.

The association between maturity of defense use and psychological functioning was assessed in a group of 95 elementary school children. Defense mechanisms were measured using a valid and reliable storytelling task, and psychological adjustment was assessed through a combination of parent and self-report questionnaires. Correlational analyses indicated that children who relied on the developmentally immature defense of denial reported higher levels of self-rated social anxiety and depression and received higher ratings of parent-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems.

Girls' use of defense mechanisms following peer rejection.

This study explores the relation between girls' social adjustment and their use of defense mechanisms. We recruited girls representing four sociometric status classifications (rejected, neglected, average, and popular), and assessed their use of defense mechanisms both before and after encountering a peer rejection experience in the laboratory. We hypothesized that increasing degrees of social maladjustment would be associated with higher levels of defense use, particularly after encountering a rejection experience.