Social rejection and meaning-making in young people with facial dermatological differences

Socioanthropological theories predict that individuals with visible differences will be judged and treated more negatively (Langlois et al., 2000). Empirical research is largely supportive of this hypothesis, with studies demonstrating implicit and explicit reactions from observers that devalue and marginalize people who are visibly different (Stone, 2022). Research looking for psychological difficulties in people with visible differences because of presumed socially rejecting experiences has found equivocal outcomes, with some studies finding no difference or better functioning in visibly different participants (Andersson et al., 2011). In order to understand the space between socially rejecting experiences and psychological adjustment, this study used inductive qualitative methodology to hear the experiences of young people with visible differences and their impact on their psychological development. Reflexive thematic analysis of individual interviews with ten 11- to 14-year-olds with chronic dermatological facial differences revealed that all experienced social rejection from their peers. Participants described the process of trying to understand and manage these experiences while building a positive sense of self. This study succeeded in confirming that young people with visible dermatological differences experience social rejection. It also went further in indicating multifactorial pathways linking social rejection with psychological development which might account for equivocal findings in studies that assume a simple relationship. Implications for research and clinical practice are considered.