Ostracism and physiological arousal following traumatic brain injury

ABSTRACT

Primary objective: This study aimed to examine the psychological and physiological effects of ostracism in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Research design: A within-subject, counterbalanced design was used. The two conditions, inclusion and ostracism, were examined across two groups (between subjects).

Methods and procedures: A group of 21 adults with TBI and 17 matched controls participated in the Cyberball paradigm. This task is a computerised task that exposes participants to a game of catch and throw. In the inclusion condition they are included fairly in the game, while in the ostracism condition they are excluded from the game following the first few throws. Skin conductance levels (SCLs) were measured throughout the game as a proxy for social stress.

Main outcomes: Results showed that people with TBI were cognitively aware of when they are being ostracised, but that their self-reported emotional experience to social exclusion was different to that of the control group. Differences in SCLs between groups and between conditions did not reach significance nor did they correlate with behavioural responses.

Conclusions: These findings are discussed in terms of the consequences of dissociation between psychological and physiological responses and the implications for motivating behaviours associated with re-inclusion.

KEYWORDS:

• Skin conductance
• social exclusion
• TBI
• brain injury
• Cyberball

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the participants for volunteering their time.

Declaration of interest

This work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia.

Notes

¹ There were originally 22 participants in the TBI group, 1 was removed due to suspicions of task reality (explained in “Methods”).

² There were originally 26 participants in the control group, 9 were removed due to suspicions of task reality (explained in “Methods”).

³ Data were collected this way due to changes in lab practices. Data from approximately half of each group (controls and TBIs) were collected using each type of electrode.

⁴ Behavioural data were missing for one participant in the control group

⁵ Numeric response missing, participant responded ‘I don’t know, I don’t care’