سمت چپ، تنبلی، و آبی: واسطه خودکنترلی کم ارتباط بین طرد شدگی و افسردگی

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.

A capacity to form positive, lasting relationships is one defining feature of human beings (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). The importance of social relationships is magnified by examining individuals who are ostracized. Indeed, basic neurological and psychological systems constantly monitor against the threat of social ostracism (Eisenberger, Lieberman, & Williams, 2003). The majority of research to date has focused on the presumed correlates of social ostracism. Comparatively less work has focused on variables that explain the relationship between ostracism and a given outcome (i.e., mediation), or factors that affect the magnitude of that relationship (i.e., moderation). We predict that self-control represents one variable that helps explain the relationship between ostracism and depression. At first blush, self-control deficits that accompany ostracism may have some benefits, such as mental energy conservation. Nevertheless, poor self-control is itself associated with depression and may impair coping processes aimed at warding off the negative emotional consequences of ostracism (Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone, 2004). Therefore, ostracism may relate to higher levels of depression, and this relationship may be mediated by lower self-control. Moreover, we also contend that the relationship between poor self-control and depression may itself be contingent on the level of perceived ostracism. Our hypotheses will be tested using the conceptual model shown in Fig. 1.

The past 15 years have seen a boom in ostracism research. This research has achieved many successes, including understanding how ostracism affects a broad range of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral outcomes (DeWall & Bushman, 2011). Yet, little of this research focused on the putative mediators and moderators underlying many of these outcomes. The current research fills this void by showing that low self-control partially accounts for the relationship between social exclusion and depression. It also demonstrates that the relationship between self-control and depression is stronger among people who report elevated levels of ostracism compared to people who do not. By focusing on mechanism and process, researchers may have a leg up in devising effective strategies to reduce or eliminate the pernicious effects of ostracism.