The effects of social exclusion on emotion regulation, basic needs, well-being, and ill-being: examining the moderating role of childhood trauma

Although previous research showed social exclusion to be detrimental to psychological functioning, less is known about which factors could make individuals more or less vulnerable to these effects. Employing the Self-Determination Theory as a theoretical framework, this study aimed to examine whether childhood trauma intensifies or mitigates the impact of social exclusion on emotion regulation, basic psychological needs, well-being, and ill-being. An online experiment was conducted, thereby manipulating experienced social exclusion through the Cyberball paradigm. Data were collected through self-reports among 162 participants (Mage = 23.69, SDage = 2.80) who were randomly assigned to either a social exclusion or inclusion condition. Besides higher levels of perceived social exclusion, participants in the exclusion condition reported higher ill-being than those in the inclusion condition (with no significant differences observed in terms of the other outcomes). Results further showed childhood trauma to be positively associated with emotion dysregulation and ill-being, and negatively associated with need satisfaction and well-being. Moreover, childhood trauma moderated the effect of social exclusion on well-being, indicating that high childhood trauma was associated with similar levels of well-being in the exclusion and inclusion condition, whereas individuals with low childhood trauma displayed lower well-being in the exclusion (vs. inclusion) condition. The present study expands current knowledge and deepens our understanding by illuminating the role of childhood trauma as a moderator in the immediate distress caused by social exclusion and the long-term consequences on mental health.