The Influence of Social Exclusion on High School Students’ Depression: A Moderated Mediation Model

Abstract

Purpose

High school students face various pressures such as academic and interpersonal relationships, which can easily lead to depression. Social exclusion is one of the important influencing factors for adolescent depression, but there is still limited research on the mechanisms of the impact that social exclusion has on depression. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effect of social exclusion on depression among high school students, as well as the mediating role of thwarted belongingness and the moderating role of cognitive reappraisal.

Methods

Researchers assessed 1041 high school students using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Adolescent Social Exclusion Scale, Interpersonal Needs Scale, and Emotion Regulation Scale.

Results

(1) Social exclusion was negatively associated with cognitive reappraisal (r = −0.224, p < 0.001), and positively associated with thwarted belongingness and depression (r = 0.657, 0.490, p <0.001). Thwarted belongingness was positively associated with depression (r = 0.617, p <0.001), and negatively associated with cognitive reappraisal (r = −0.325, p <0.001). Cognitive reappraisal was negatively associated with depression (r = −0.280, p < 0.01). (2) Social exclusion could directly predict depression, 95% CI [0.08, 0.21]. Thwarted belongingness played a partial mediating role between social exclusion and depression, 95% CI [0.30, 0.40]. (3) Cognitive reappraisal moderated the predictive effect of thwarted belongingness on depression.

Conclusion

Social exclusion can influence depression through thwarted belongingness and cognitive reappraisal, and educators can reduce depression by decreasing thwarted belongingness and promoting the use of cognitive reappraisal strategies by high school students.

Keywords:

• high school students
• social exclusion
• thwarted belongingness
• cognitive reappraisal
• depression

Data Sharing Statement

All data included in the current study can be obtained from the corresponding authors through their email address upon reasonable request.

Ethics Statement

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethical Committee of Guangxi Normal University. We have obtained the informed consent from the study participants and the parents/legal guardians.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their useful comments on earlier drafts.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

“Research and Practice of Online and Offline Mixed Teaching of Psychological Health Education Based on PBL”, Education Reform Project of Psychology Major Teaching Steering Committee of Ministry of Education (20221050).The research was supported by Humanity and Social Science Youth Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (21YJC190014), the Key Projects of the 13th Five-Year Plan for Education Science of Jiangsu Province (B-a/2020/01/11), Project of Philosophy and Social Science Research in Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province (2021SJA1044).