Workplace ostracism in healthcare: Association with job satisfaction, stress, and perceived health.

AIMS: To examine (1) the association between healthcare workers' workplace ostracism and job satisfaction, stress and perceived health, and (2) whether this relationship is mediated by loneliness and self-esteem. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: Healthcare (N = 569) managers and employees (nurses, practical nurses, doctors and social workers) in Finland responded to a semi-structured survey in January 2021 and evaluated their experiences of workplace ostracism, job satisfaction, stress, perceived health, loneliness and self-esteem during the last year. To examine the association of these variables, linear regression and mediator model tests were performed. RESULTS: Workplace ostracism had a clear direct association with job satisfaction, stress and perceived health. Loneliness fully mediated the relationship between workplace ostracism, stress and perceived health, and partly mediated the association between workplace ostracism and job satisfaction. Self-esteem partly mediated the association between workplace ostracism, stress, job satisfaction and perceived health. CONCLUSION: The experience of workplace ostracism in organizations is a significant factor in job satisfaction, stress and perceived health. Healthcare organizations could strengthen job satisfaction and increase workers' well-being by strengthening social relationships in the organization and, via that, reducing turnover intention. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND PATIENT CARE: This study gives understanding and information to the healthcare profession on how workplace ostracism affects work well-being and workplace relationships. Workplace ostracism decreases interaction, which can also endanger patient care if information is not openly exchanged. IMPACT: This study indicated that workplace ostracism weakened job satisfaction more than loneliness. More commonality and consideration for others at work are needed because these factors may help increase work well-being and decrease exits from working life. Further research is needed on why workplace ostracism occurs in healthcare workplaces. REPORTING METHOD: STROBE. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Vicarious ostracism reduces observers' sense of agency.

Previous findings revealed that social ostracism reduces people's implicit sense of agency. Based on theoretical claims that observed behavior of others may be cognitively represented similarly to one's own behavior, we conducted two experiments to test whether people's own sense of agency can also be impaired by observed social exclusion of others. In Experiment 1, participants recalled episodes referring to vicarious ostracism or inclusion before completing a temporal interval estimation task to assess intentional binding effects (an established implicit measure of the sense of agency). In Experiment 2, participants immersed into a newly designed virtual Cyberball game, in which they witnessed a vicarious ostracism or inclusion scenario, before completing a Libet-style temporal estimation task and an agency questionnaire (an explicit measure of the sense of agency). The findings show, for the first time, that vicarious ostracism reduces both implicit and explicit measures of agency in observers.

You can't play with us: First-person ostracism affects infants' behavioral reactivity.

Ostracism negatively affects fundamental psychological needs, induces physiological and behavioral changes, and modulates the processing of social information in adults. Yet little is known about children and preverbal infants' responses to first-person experiences of ostracism. The current study aimed to explore the efficacy of a triadic ball-tossing game in manipulating social inclusion and ostracism with 13-month-old infants (N = 84; 44% males; mostly White; tested from 2019 to 2022) by developing an observational coding system. Infants' behaviors were recorded while participating in a ball-tossing game where they were either included or ostracized from the game. Ostracized, but not included, infants showed an increase in negative emotionality and involvement behaviors, thus suggesting that behavioral responses to being ostracized emerge early in life.

Intensity, intent, and ambiguity: Appraisals of workplace ostracism and coping responses.

Using both correlational and experimental designs across four studies (N = 1251 working individuals), the current project aimed to contribute to the understanding of workplace ostracism by studying two research questions. First, we tested whether the subjective experience of targets reflects the current theorizing of ostracism. Second, drawing from the transactional theory of stress and coping, we investigated whether this subjective experience impacts targets' coping responses. Findings based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the current theorizing of workplace ostracism such that perceived intensity, intent, and ambiguity were reflected in how targets appraised being ostracized at work. The appraisals were also related to coping responses. Perceived intensity predicted more approach-oriented (e.g., confrontation) and less avoidance-oriented coping responses (e.g., minimization). While attributions of intent also predicted some coping responses (e.g., instrumental support seeking), the explanatory power of perceived ambiguity was lower than the other two appraisals. Although these researcher-defined dimensions may be reflective of targets' experience, we propose that predictions made based on these dimensions need further refinement. The theoretical and practical significance of these findings are discussed in relation to how workplace ostracism is typically studied in the literature.

The mediating role of social ostracism in the effect of social media addiction on loneliness in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the mediating role of social ostracism in the effect of social media addiction on loneliness in adolescents. METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 1225 adolescent students attending high school in a province in Eastern Turkey between 30 May 2023 and 01 August 2023. The study data were collected using the "Personal Information Form", "Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale", "UCLA Loneliness Scale-Short Form" and "Ostracism Experience Scale for Adolescents". The analysis of the study data was performed by using SPSS 22.0, AMOS V 24.0, and G*Power 3.1 Statistical package software. RESULTS: It was determined that the model created in line with the determining the mediating role of social ostracism in the effect of social media addiction on loneliness in adolescents was compatible and the model fit indices were within the desired limits x2/df = 4.481, RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.96, GFI = 0.96, AGFI = 0.94, IFI = 0.96. Social media addiction has been found to affect loneliness and social ostracism (p < 0.05). It was found that social ostracism affected the level of loneliness (p < 0.05). It was determined that social ostracism had a mediating role in the effect of social media addiction on loneliness (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: As the level of social media addiction increases, the level of loneliness and social ostracism increases. As the level of social ostracism increases, the level of loneliness increases. Longitudinal studies on the factors affecting loneliness are recommended. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: In order to reduce the loneliness and social ostracism levels of adolescents, their access to social media should be controlled. Programs to reduce social ostracism should be designed.

"Helping Mentally Ill, a Reward Both in this Life and After": A Qualitative Study Among Community Health Professionals in Somaliland.

This study aimed to describe the experiences of community mental health workers, predominantly female, nurses and doctors providing community-based mental health services in Borama, Somaliland. A qualitative explorative study using focus group discussions was conducted. Data were collected from three focus group discussions with 22 female community health workers, two medical doctors, and two registered nurses and analyzed using content analysis with an inductive approach. Three main categories were identified from the analysis: (1) bridging the mental health gap in the community; (2) working in a constrained situation; and (3) being altruistic. Overall, the community mental health workers felt that their role was to bridge the mental health gap in the community. They described their work as a rewarding and motivated them to continue despite challenges and improving community healthcare workers' work conditions and providing resources in mental health services will contribute to strengthening mental health services in Somaliland.

Post COVID-19 workplace ostracism and counterproductive behaviors: Moral leadership.

BACKGROUND: The wide proliferation of Covid-19 has impacted billions of people all over the world. This catastrophic pandemic outbreak and ostracism at work have posed challenges for all healthcare professionals, especially for nurses, and have led to a significant increase in the workload, several physical and mental problems, and a change in behavior that is more negative and counterproductive. Therefore, leadership behaviors that are moral in nature serve as a trigger and lessen the adverse workplace effects on nurses' conduct. AIM: this research is directed to explore the impact of post-COVID-19 workplace ostracism on nurses' counterproductive behavior and examine the role of moral leadership as a mediating factor in post-COVID-19 workplace ostracism and nurses' counterproductive behavior. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION: Ethical review and approval Was received from Ethical Committee at the Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Egypt. METHODS: A cross-sectional and correlation study was implemented in all units of medical, surgical, critical and intensive care units by using three tools; moral leadership questionnaire, Workplace Ostracism Instrument (WOS), and Counterproductive Work Behaviors Questionnaire (CWBs). A convenient sample of 340 from 699 bedside nurses was granted. RESULTS: This study revealed that nurses' perceived moderate mean percent (55.49 ± 3.46) of overall workplace ostracism and counterproductive behavior (74.69 ± 6.15). However, they perceived a low mean percentage of moral leadership. There was a significant positive correlation between workplace ostracism and counterproductive behavior. Otherwise, a significant negative correlation was found between moral leadership, workplace ostracism and counterproductive behavior. Also, this study proved the mediating effect of moral leadership in decreasing workplace ostracism by 79.3% and counterproductive behavior by 36.7%. CONCLUSION: Hospital administrators need to be aware of the significance of moral leadership and apply integrity in the clinical setting to reduce the drawback of isolation on nurses' conduct and increase value for the organization as a whole and nurses in particular.

Does social defeat cause negative symptoms? A prospective study in a multi-national community sample.

Psychological models of the consequences of ostracism (i.e. being socially excluded and ignored) and negative symptoms in schizophrenia suggest that repeatedly experiencing ostracism can lead to elevated levels of amotivation, anhedonia, and asociality (i.e. negative symptoms). We tested this assumption in a prospective study, following up a large multi-national community sample from Germany, Indonesia, and the United States (N = 962) every four months over one year. At each of the four assessment points (T0 - T3), participants rated their recent ostracism experiences and negative symptoms. Using cross-lagged panel analyses we found a) that negative symptoms and experiences of ostracism were significantly associated in each of the four assessment points, b) that ostracism predicted negative symptoms over time (T2 to T3), and c) that negative symptoms increased ostracism (T0 to T1). The results are in line with the social defeat model of negative symptoms and suggest a bi-directional longitudinal relationship between ostracism and negative symptoms. Moving forward, it will therefore be important to gain an understanding of potential moderators involved in the mechanism.

The mechanisms underlying the negative effect of depression on life satisfaction among the elderly: the roles of ostracism and economic income.

OBJECTIVES: Depression is prevalent among older persons, which seriously threatens their life satisfaction. This study aimed to explore the internal mechanisms by which depression influences life satisfaction among the elderly, as well as the mediating and moderating effects of ostracism and economic income, respectively, in a sample of rural older adults across China. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted as part of the project "Thousands of People and Hundreds of Villages (2019)." SETTING: Participants were rural older adults from 31 provincial-level administrative units across China. PARTICIPANTS: The sample composed of 1,754 participants aged 60 years and over. MEASUREMENTS: Depression was assessed with the depression subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, life satisfaction with the Satisfaction with Life Scale, ostracism with the Ostracism Experience Scale (OES), and economic income and other control variables with related demographic scales. Moderation and mediation analyses were performed using the regression-based approach as conducted by Hayes (). RESULTS: Depression negatively predicted life satisfaction among the elderly. Ostracism played a partially mediating role between depression and life satisfaction. Economic income moderated the effect of depression and ostracism on life satisfaction: High economic income weakened the negative effect of depression on life satisfaction and enhanced the negative effect of ostracism on life satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Improving depressed elderly people's interpersonal relationships and financial support could improve their life satisfaction.

Relationship between workplace ostracism and turnover intention among nurses: the sequential mediating effects of emotional labor and nurse-patient relationship.

This study aimed to elaborate on the mechanism by which workplace ostracism influences turnover intention through exploring the sequential mediation effects of emotional labour and nurse-patient relationship. Using a sample of 379 nurses collected from a time-lag survey in a tertiary public hospital in China, we applied structural equation modelling techniques to test our hypothesized model. Our findings revealed that workplace ostracism positively influenced surface acting and deep acting. Workplace ostracism influenced turnover intention through the sequential mediation of surface acting and nurse-patient relationship. The findings of this study imply that nurses should receive education and training in emotional management skills to deal with workplace ostracism. Besides, fostering positive nurse-patient relationships may help reduce nurses' turnover intention.

When a Negative Experience Sticks With You: Does the Revised Outcome Debriefing Counteract the Consequences of Experimental Ostracism in Psychological Research?

For research purposes, it is generally accepted that experimental ostracism manipulations can lead to a reduction of participants' well-being. To eventually restore participants' well-being, researchers rely on post-experimental debriefings that discredit prior deception. However, evidence suggests that discredited beliefs can persevere. The present research investigates whether a potent debriefing procedure restores participants' well-being after an experimentally induced ostracism experience. In two studies, participants were either excluded or included in a Cyberball game, indicated their well-being, and were debriefed. In two additional conditions, participants were debriefed before indicating their well-being. Ostracism compared to inclusion led to decreased positive and increased negative mood. The debriefing did not counteract this effect (Studies 1 & 2). Unwanted aftereffects of the manipulation persevered for more than one day after the experimental session (Study 2). These findings question the effectiveness of debriefings and raise issues about research ethics.

Paradox mindset as an equalizer: A moderated mediated perspective on workplace ostracism.

Incorporating the conservation of resources theory as a comprehensive framework, this study investigates a cohesive conceptual model analyzing the impact of workplace ostracism on employees' innovative work behavior (IWB). The investigation further delves into the mediating influence of perceived control and the moderating roles of paradox mindset and support for innovation. Data collection employed a survey approach involving three-time lags through questionnaires administered to 513 employees within Pakistan's public sector organizations. The hypothesized relationships were evaluated using conditional process modeling. Our research sheds light on how perceived control mitigates the negative impact of ostracism. The paradox mindset is identified as a key moderator influencing cognitive resources and navigating ostracism. Support for innovation enhances the link between perceived control and innovative work behavior. In addition, limitations, future research directions, and implications of our findings for fostering creative workplaces are also discussed.

Workplace ostracism influencing turnover intentions: Moderating roles of perceptions of organizational virtuousness and authentic leadership.

Workplace Ostracism is known to be a physically and emotionally painful experience. Even if it has a temporary and minor impact, it strongly predicts employee turnover intentions. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating effects of perceptions of Organizational Virtuousness (OV) and Authentic Leadership (AL) in explaining the relationship between Workplace Ostracism (WO) and employees' Turnover Intentions (TI). Data were collected from 686 full-time employees using a non-probabilistic convenience sampling in India's Information Technology (IT) companies. The reliability and validity of scales were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. Multiple hierarchical regression modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses using IBM SPSS 23.0 with Process Macro 3.5. The present study's findings suggest that workplace ostracism is significantly related to employees' turnover intentions. Furthermore, perceptions of organizational virtuousness and authentic leadership moderated the relationship between workplace ostracism and employee turnover intentions. Employee turnover is a gigantic problem for IT firms in India. The present study offers valuable insights to managers to create awareness of workplace ostracism. Implementing managerial strategies rooted in positive psychology can help organizations create a more inclusive, supportive, and psychologically healthy work environment. This, in turn, can reduce the occurrence of workplace ostracism and turnover intentions.

The myth of regaining control: Ostracism increases superstitious tendencies.

Whether and how interpersonal experiences predispose people to show superstitious tendencies have been largely unexamined by past studies. By adopting a multimethod approach, three studies tested (a) whether ostracism increases superstitious tendencies through thwarted perceived control, (b) whether the dispositional need for closure moderates the effect of ostracism on superstitious tendencies and (c) whether restoring ostracized people's thwarted control weakens their superstitious tendencies. The results revealed that ostracized participants had higher superstitious tendencies than nonostracized participants did (Studies 1-3). Moreover, thwarted control mediated the effect of ostracism on superstitious tendencies (Study 2). In addition, the dispositional need for closure moderated the effect of ostracism on superstitious tendencies, such that the effect was stronger among participants with a high need for closure (Studies 1-2). Finally, restoring ostracized participants' perceived control weakened the effect of ostracism on superstitious tendencies (Study 3). Altogether, these findings feature the essential role of thwarted perceived control in understanding the link between ostracism and superstitious tendencies and the implication of control restoration in weakening the link. They also highlight the importance of dispositional characteristics in moderating people's responses to superstitions following ostracism and related forms of interpersonal maltreatment.

Ostracism and sharing in an intergroup context.

Previous research suggests that social exclusion is linked to a decrease in individuals' prosocial behavior. However, this effect has not been examined in an intergroup context. We manipulated social acceptance (using the Cyberball game) to examine participants' sharing with ingroup or outgroup members in a minimal group paradigm. Results revealed that when the prospective recipient was a group member who rejected them, socially excluded participants shared less than their socially accepted counterparts. However, when faced with members of an outgroup, socially excluded participants showed similar levels of prosocial behavior as their socially accepted counterparts. Further results suggest that the tendency of socially excluded participants to act in a less prosocial manner toward members of a group that had rejected them was generalized to the group as a whole (including group members with whom there had been no previous interaction). We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

The impact of gender-exclusive language on women's anticipated ostracism: A preregistered replication of Stout and Dasgupta (2011).

In a 2011 study, Stout and Dasgupta exposed men and women to what they termed gender-inclusive language, which used both male and female referents, or to what they termed gender-exclusive language, which used male referents only. They found that, in comparison to gender-inclusive language, a job description that used gender-exclusive language negatively impacted women; they reported higher anticipated job-based ostracism and perceived sexism and lower job-based motivation and identification. This work reports a high-powered, preregistered study with women that fully replicated Stout and Dasgupta's findings. Moreover, in an exploratory analysis, we found that, for women, gender-exclusive language is perceived as sexist, which in turn predicted feelings of greater anticipated ostracism, which in turn predicted lower job-based motivation and identification. Therefore, our findings support past research that subtle linguistic cues can be interpreted as exclusionary, that this interpretation can trigger negative outcomes, and that people can experience group-level ostracism based on their social identity.

Direct and displaced aggression after exclusion: role of gender differences.

The present studies consider the influence of exclusion on aggressive behavior depending on the target of the aggression and the gender of the aggressor. Previous studies have shown that after exclusion, aggressive behavior occurs toward the excluder as well as toward innocent bystanders. However, there is also evidence that men have a greater tendency toward direct aggression and women have a greater tendency toward displaced aggression. In Studies 1 (N = 89) and 2 (N = 120), participants were ostracized, in Studies 3 (N = 88) and 4 (N = 133), participants were rejected. Then, aggressive behavior toward the excluder or bystander was measured. The results confirmed the gender differences hypothesis, but only in the case of ostracism. After ostracism, more retaliatory aggression was observed in men, and more displaced aggression was noted in women. Rejection resulted in generalized aggressive behavior directed toward the excluder and the bystander in men and women. The results are discussed in light of Sexual Selection Theory.

Sensitivity to ostracism is blunted in suicide attempters only when they report suicidal ideation.

BACKGROUND: Modified pain perception is at the core of many theories on suicide; however, studies on the relationship between pain perception and suicidal behavior (attempt) have produced contradictory results. In this experimental study, we investigated whether physical pain and social pain are concomitantly influenced by suicidal ideation (SI) and past suicidal behavior. METHODS: 155 inpatients with depression (90 with and 65 without past history of suicide attempt) were included. They underwent thermal stimulation of the skin to assess physical pain tolerance and played the Cyberball game to assess their sensitivity to ostracism (social pain). Participants self-assessed current SI through the specific item in the Beck Depression Inventory. RESULTS: Pain tolerance was not associated with history of suicide attempt, current SI, and their interaction. Social pain was associated with the interaction between history of suicide attempt and current SI. Social pain was decreased in suicide attempters, compared with non-attempters, only when they reported current SI. LIMITATIONS: Cyberball game may not be representative of everyday stress and ecological social context. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike what suggested by many theories, pain tolerance does not seem to be necessary to attempt suicide. Suicide attempters with current SI displayed blunted sensitivity to ostracism and could be less willing to restore social affiliation compared with non-attempters.

Acute Ostracism-Related Pain Sensitization in the Context of Accumulated Lifetime Experiences of Ostracism.

Ostracism (ie, being ignored/excluded) is a form of social adversity that powerfully impacts health and well-being. While laboratory research indicates that experimentally manipulated experiences of ostracism impact pain, findings have been mixed. Prior investigations have not considered moderating or main effects of individual histories of ostracism, and have been limited in the scope of their pain testing. In this study, participants without current pain reported lifetime experiences of ostracism prior to a laboratory visit where they were randomized to experience either a single episode of ostracism (ie, acute ostracism) or control condition that was immediately followed by quantitative sensory testing. Results indicate that the experimental effect of a single episode of ostracism on pain ratings, after-sensations, and temporal summation of pain is moderated by lifetime ostracism; no main effects were found. For individuals with histories of more lifetime ostracism, encountering a single episode of ostracism led to greater pain sensitization relative to the control condition, whereas no experimental effect was observed for individuals with little lifetime exposure to ostracism. These findings indicate that acute experiences of ostracism may be accompanied by periods of hyperalgesia for people who are chronically ostracized, implicating ostracism as a potential social moderator of pain sensitization. People who are stigmatized may therefore experience enhanced pain burden with repeated and accumulating experiences of ostracism. PERSPECTIVE: Results suggest that in the context of accumulated lifetime experiences of ostracism, single experiences of ostracism evoke central sensitization. In this way, ostracism may function to trigger central sensitization and shape socially- and societally-determined patterns of pain burden and disparity.

Will I speak up or remain silent? Workplace ostracism and employee performance based on self-control perspective.

Drawing on the self-control perspective, this study investigated the buffering effect of emotional suppression in reducing the harmful influence of workplace ostracism on employee performance. The research also studied the mediating role of employee silence and voice behaviors based on social exchange theory. We performed moderated mediation analysis on responses received from 159 employees working in the financial industry of the Southern Punjab region of Pakistan. The results showed that workplace ostracism harms employee performance via employee silence and voice behaviors. Furthermore, emotional suppression moderated the mediated relationship between workplace ostracism and employee performance. The results indicated that if ostracized employees adopt voice behavior, emotional suppression cannot aid them in performing better as compared to those who remain silent and regain their self-esteem. Our findings highlight the importance of emotional suppression capability in reducing the damaging outcomes of ostracism in organizational settings.