Ostracism, Loneliness, and the Potential Psychological Impact of the Civilian-Military Divide

For several decades, the dominant perspective on the mental health of veterans has focused primarily on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Considerable research has shown recently, however, that only a relatively small portion of veterans suffers from PTSD. The stress of transitioning from being a soldier back into civilian life appears to better account for the myriad mental health problems and broader levels of distress veterans may report or develop. Unfortunately, research on this problem has been limited almost exclusively to self-report, survey studies. In the current research, we tested for this experimentally using an online Cyberball task. The anticipated and supported finding that veterans experience greater levels of loneliness when excluded or ostracized by non-veterans suggests an imperative need for broader research frameworks and increased dedication towards educating veterans on the necessity of meaningful social connectivity post-transition.