Effects of experimentally manipulated peer rejection on children's negative affect, self-esteem, and maladaptive social behavior

Children (n = 88) aged 8 and 10 years participated in a minimal group study in which their reaction versus acceptance, by one other person versus a group of three people, was experimentally manipulated. Analysis of their self-reported negative affect, self-esteem, and maladaptive social behavior, revealed that, regardless of the source of the rejection (i.e., an individual versus a group), peer rejection caused a significant increase in the children's negative affect, but had no effect on their self-esteem. The findings also indicated that peer rejection instigated an increased tendency towards maladaptive social behavior, and that the latter effect was fully mediated by the children's negative affect. The implications of the findings for peer-rejection research arc discussed.