Social rejection in adolescents with a dermatological disfigurement
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Social rejection in adolescents with a dermatological disfigurement: A qualitative study (An exploration of peer relationships and difficult social experiences in young people who look different).
IRAS ID
158019
Contact name
Kristina Soon
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UCL-ICH
Research summary
Previous research has shown that young people with a dermatological disfigurement report significantly lower levels of shame compared to a non-disfigured control group. Shame is defined as the emotional state elicited when one feels socially rejected or devalued (Gilbert, 1998). This finding was unexpected given existing literature which suggests that young people with a disfigurement are more likely to experience social rejection.
This study aims to explore these unexpected findings using a qualitative method in order to further our understanding of how young people with a disfigurement respond to and process socially rejecting experiences. This is considered an important area of research for a number of reasons. First, the emotional state of shame is generally an unpleasant and distressing experience. Second, the experience of social rejection and shame can result in developing a fundamental sense of self as being unvalued, unworthy and unlikeable which can result in major mental health problems such as anxiety and depression in childhood and adulthood (Gilbert & Miles, 2000). Also, research suggests that shame can act as a barrier to positive change in psychological treatment (Tone & McDonough, 2012) thereby rendering professional attempts to alleviate psychological suffering ineffective.
In this study, adolescents will be interviewed about their experiences of living with a disfigurement, peer relationships and their experiences of social rejection. Data will be analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to identify key themes to inform further research and clinical developments.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1497
Date of REC Opinion
20 Nov 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion