Candy Grams: Sensitivity in Adolescence [4]

 

Feeling socially isolated at school negatively affects the mental health and academic outcomes of adolescents (e.g., Goodenow, 1993a; Osterman, 2000; Ostrove & Long, 2007; Roeser, Midgely, & Urdan, 1996). (12).

Loneliness peaks and is more prevalent during adolescence than at any other age (Heinrich & Gullone, 2006; Perlman & Landolt, 1999). Existing research shows that adolescents’ development of a sense of belonging provides important support for healthy social, emotional, and physical development (e.g., Fontaine et al., 2009; Hall-Lande, Eisenberg, Christenson, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2007; Ladd & Ettekal, 2013). 

Patterns of brain maturation during this period make adolescents more vulnerable to over-interpreting social threats (Wong, Yeung & Lee, 2018) (11).

We did a carnation sale for Valentine’s Day for 6th-8th grade, and you could pick from white, pink, and red—what an absolute shit-show of angsty teens and preteens obsessing over our perception that “red is for love, pink is for friendship, white is neutral” and over-analyzing and gossiping about who gave what color to whom, stressing over what to give your crush and being absolutely crushed when they didn’t give you the same color, debating whether or not to give one to the friend you were on the outs with, etc….add in the kids who just didn’t get any, and UGH.

Cross-sectional research with over 4,700 adolescents showed a correlation between social isolation and an increased risk of attempted suicide (Hall-Lande et al., 2007) (12). 

Being socially excluded knocks your confidence, whatever age you are (3).

Sources:

(1) https://carolinemaguireauthor.com/help-a-kid-who-is-being-ostracized-feeling-left-out/

(2) https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/how-to-talk-with-parents-about-cliques-and-exclusion/

(3) https://afineparent.com/positive-parenting-faq/social-exclusion.html

(4) https://psychcentral.com/health/why-feeling-left-stings-and-healthy-ways-to-cope#why-it-bothers-you

(5) https://workbravely.com/blog/diversity-equity-inclusion/when-you-feel-excluded-at-work-speaking-up-bravely/

(6) https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/04/rejection

(7) https://gsdrc.org/topic-guides/social-exclusion/causes/exclusion-based-on-social-status-or-identity/

(8) https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/bullying-kids-teens

(9) https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1368214/full

(10) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22889163/

(11) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740924000148

(12) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1184924.pdf

(13) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6085085/

(14) (https://conversationstoremember.org/loneliness-and-isolation/#:~:text=Loneliness%2C%20on%20the%20other%20hand,of%20a%20hostile%20social%20environment.)

(15) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022519321003581

(16) https://elifesciences.org/articles/78246

(17) https://educationdata.org/public-education-spending-statistics

(18) https://www.aaastateofplay.com/where-in-the-united-states-are-children-most-dependent-on-free-school-lunches/

(19) https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=898