The Impact Of Gossip On Teenage Girls

Gossip is an unfortunate part of life for many teen-age girls – and unfortunately it continues to take a toll well after the high school years, say researchers at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

In a survey of more than 200 male and female college students, the Florida researchers found that students who were victims of gossip and shunned and excluded from social activities in high school were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety in early adulthood.

Having friends and being in healthy social relationships didn’t lessen the emotional impact in adulthood, according to Allison Dempsey, a doctoral student whose study was recently published online in the journal Psychology in the Schools.