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The Physiological and Psychological Effects of Ostracism in Adults with ASD

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Abstract

Whilst some form of ostracism is experienced by most people at some point in their lives, it is experienced far more often in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Little is known about how this social exclusion is interpreted, experienced or managed. This study aimed to explore the psychological (mood and social needs) as well as the physiological (arousal) effects of ostracism using a well-established paradigm, Cyberball. Results demonstrated no differences between groups on social needs, however, mood was rated as more negatively by ASDs overall. Arousal was increased in when excluded compared with when excluded for ASDs, but not for controls. Overall, individuals with ASD experienced heightened physiological arousal but whilst these individuals reported overall lower mood, this response to ostracism was not expressed as emotionally significant to these individuals, suggesting possible interoceptive difficulties in this population. This highlights the need for both understanding in non-ASD individuals and intervention of this emotional distress in individuals with ASD.

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Funding

This study did not receive any funding.

Author Contributions

ET, SM and JAR designed the study. MK designed and wrote the specific scripts needed for the current Cyberball paradigm. ET collected all data and performed analyses. ET wrote the initial version of the manuscript with subsequent contributions by SM, JAR and MK. All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Emily Trimmer, Skye McDonald & Jacqueline Ann Rushby

  2. Newcastle University, Newcastle, Australia

    Michelle Kelly

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  1. Emily Trimmer
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  2. Skye McDonald
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  3. Michelle Kelly
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  4. Jacqueline Ann Rushby
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Correspondence to Emily Trimmer.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Trimmer, E., McDonald, S., Kelly, M. et al. The Physiological and Psychological Effects of Ostracism in Adults with ASD. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 2326–2335 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3146-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3146-9

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