The Mediating Role of Cognitive Flexibility and Suppression in the Relationship Between Ostracism and Psychological Wellbeing: A Longitudinal Analysis.

Abstract

Ostracism is a significant psychosocial stressor that undermines core psychological needs, including the sense of belonging and perceived social worth. Such experiences may exert particularly pronounced effects during adolescence, a developmental stage characterized by heightened sensitivity to peer evaluation and social acceptance. However, longitudinal evidence on the enduring consequences of ostracism in adolescence is limited. Thus, the present study, conducted with high school-aged adolescents in Türkiye, investigated the longitudinal association between ostracism and psychological well-being, with particular attention to the mediating roles of cognitive flexibility and suppression. Participants were 302 adolescents aged 13-19 years (74.5% female; M = 15.63, SD = 1.31), assessed at two time points spaced approximately six months apart. Results indicated that higher levels of perceived ostracism at Time 1 prospectively predicted lower levels of cognitive flexibility and greater reliance on suppression strategies at Time 2. Furthermore, cognitive flexibility demonstrated a positive association with psychological well-being, whereas suppression exhibited a negative association. Lagged mediation analyses revealed that the impact of ostracism on psychological well-being operated indirectly via these two concurrent mechanisms. These findings contribute to the Need-Threat Model by providing empirical support for the proposition that ostracism undermines well-being through the frustration of fundamental psychological needs. Furthermore, the findings emphasize the role of cognitive flexibility and adaptive emotion regulation in promoting adolescents' psychological well-being, underscoring the value of interventions that strengthen these cognitive and emotional capacities.