Social Ostracism in School: Retrospective View of Emerging Adults and Implications for the School Team

Social ostracism is a severe form of aggression in school, yet it is not well understood, for lack of evidence-based information. A retrospective study with the participation of 504 emerging adults (aged 18–25), who clearly remember a case of social ostracism during their school years, was designed to expand knowledge. The participants completed a quantitative questionnaire that included various aspects of ostracism such as its characteristics and implications. They were divided into two groups: those who had experienced ostracism and those who had not. Findings revealed that ostracism is more prevalent in grades 4–6, that the characteristics of ostracized children are wide-ranging, and that ostracism impacts all children–ostracized and non-ostracized. The ostracized children experience depression and perceptual change in their ability to trust others. Applicational implications for the school team on how to prevent ostracism, or intervene when they encounter it, are detailed.