The Impact of Gossip on Children's Feelings of Belongingness

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Having a sense of belonging is vital to children’s and adults’ psychological health. In fact, lack of belonging is detrimental to children’s psychological health, causing acute and chronic distress and increasing risk for later anxiety/depressive symptoms and drug use. This fundamental need to belong can be undermined or strengthened by social experiences, such as gossiping (i.e., negative or positive talk about others). The effects of gossiping are well-studied in both adults and adolescents; members of both age groups who are associated with negative gossip feel less connected in their friend groups than those who are associated with positive gossip. Yet, no study to date has investigated the immediate and long-term effects of gossip on feelings of belonging at younger ages. The present proposal aims to address this gap. To understand the link between early childhood gossip and children’s social and psychological well-being, we aim to identify how spreading gossip or being the target of gossip impacts children’s feelings of belonging. The overall objectives will be achieved through two lab studies (Studies 1 and 2) and one naturalistic study (Study 3). Study 1 will use a novel experimental paradigm to identify the immediate effects of spreading gossip on children’s belonging and distress by testing the hypotheses that 1a) Children will feel closer to their conversation partners and feel less distressed if they gossip with them, and 1b) Children will feel closer to the peers who were the targets of positive gossip than peers who were the targets of negative gossip. Study 2 will use a similar experimental design to identify the immediate effects of being the target of gossip on children’s belonging and distress, by testing the hypothesis that 2) Children who are the targets of negative gossip will experience lower belonging and feel more distressed than the children who are the targets of positive gossip. In a novel analysis of an already collected observational social network dataset from classrooms, Study 3 will map long-term social network implications of children’s gossip over the course of an entire school year. Study 3 will test the hypotheses that 3a) Children who have higher connectedness (i.e., belonging) among friends will be less involved in spreading negative gossip and have lower likelihood of being a target of negative gossip, and 3b) Children who are more centrally connected to the friend group will be more involved in spreading positive gossip and have higher likelihood of being a target of positive gossip. The proposed research and training aims will identify the functions and impact of gossip on children’s feelings of belonging and distress and help the Candidate in furthering their career goals to lead their own lab as an independent PI. The findings can contribute to programs and policies to support healthy social development by increasing children’s feelings of belonging.