Sexual orientation within the cyberball paradigm: The role of hypervigilance in ostracism scenarios

While most individuals are aware that we need a certain level of connectedness to others, most people are not fully aware of the adverse effects that ostracism, or social exclusion, can have. Prior research using the Cyberball Paradigm, an online ball-tossing game meant to experimentally mimic the effects of exclusion, suggests that even mild forms of ostracism can cause significant psychological distress, specifically to the four core psychological values of belongingness, self-esteem, control, and meaningful existence (Williams, 2009). Utilizing the Cyberball Paradigm and the Minority Stress Model (Meyer, 2003), the following 2 (Ostracism: Inclusion vs. Exclusion) × 2 (Priming: Hypervigilance vs. Neutral) between-subjects study investigated the effects of ostracism and hypervigilance in LGBTQ+ individuals. We hypothesized that the participants who are ostracised during the Cyberball game to report higher levels of adverse psychological effects compared to those who are included. The study included 106 participants who completed baseline measures for Anticipated Stigma, Mood, Self-Esteem, Sense of Belonging in the LGBTQ+ community, and Experienced Stigma. The dependent variables were Mood (as measured by PANAS-SF), Need Threat (only subscales of Belongingness and Self-esteem), Internalized Stigma, and Experienced Stigma (specifically Denigration and Exclusion). The findings revealed a strong main effect of ostracism, as ostracised participants showed significantly lower Positive Mood, Self-Esteem, and Belongingness, as well as, higher Experienced Stigma. Hypervigilance Priming did not have a significant main effect and the interaction between the two manipulations was also not statistically significant. The results highlight the significant impact that being excluded can have on LGBTQ+ individuals and paves the way for future research to expand, in order to create intervention programs to target the specific negative psychological outcomes of exclusion.