Ostracized teen girls may be more likely to be unhealthy adults, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia. The researchers studied 147 teen girls between the ages of 15 and 19—all of whom were at high risk of becoming depressed—for two and a half years. Researchers already knew the stress of rejection (the definition of which stretches from being dropped from a peer group to outright bullying) is far more likely to lead to depression than any other life stressor. Stress and depression have been linked to other health problems, ranging from high blood pressure to cancer. Sure enough, teens who felt as if their peers were rejecting them generated far more telltale chemicals that suggest worse health down the road. “These findings have important implications for understanding how social conditions increase for a variety of inflammation-related diseases including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer and depression,” wrote the study’s authors. (Time)
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