Social exclusion in educational settings and the risk of alienation in adolescent development: a narrative review from a mind-body interaction perspective.

INTRODUCTION

Social exclusion in educational settings is a salient interpersonal stressor during adolescence. However, ostracism, peer rejection, peer victimization, bullying, loneliness, and social isolation are overlapping but non-equivalent constructs. This narrative review examines how social exclusion in educational settings may contribute to the risk of alienation in adolescent development from a mind-body interaction perspective.

METHODS

A structured, non-exhaustive literature search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and the Web of Science Core Collection for peer-reviewed English-language publications from 1 January 2000 to 21 July 2026, supplemented by backward citation tracking. Evidence was organized by construct, population, study design, and biological level. Direct adolescent human findings were distinguished from related adolescent, adult or clinical human, and animal or cellular evidence.

RESULTS

Direct adolescent studies indicate that peer victimization and interpersonal stress can be associated with heightened peripheral cytokine reactivity, particularly among youths with additional cognitive or developmental vulnerabilities. Developmental neuroscience and neuroimmunology identify plausible endothelial, vagal, glial, synaptic, white-matter, hippocampal, and network pathways through which immune signals could interact with adolescent brain maturation. Nevertheless, the literature does not establish a continuous causal sequence from school exclusion to central neuroinflammation, altered neural plasticity, alienation, or educational impairment.

DISCUSSION: The evidence supports a conditional, evidence-graded mind-body framework rather than a deterministic pathway. Educational practice should prioritize reducing exclusion, strengthening belonging and social support, and providing accessible psychological support; general health-promoting strategies should remain complementary. Longitudinal, multimodal, and developmentally stratified studies are needed to test temporal ordering, mediation, and resilience.