Association between Friendship Quality and Depression among High School Students in Jakarta

Abstract

This study aims to investigate whether any correlation between friendship quality and depression among high school students in Jakarta. Friendship Quality Scale (FQS) and Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25 (HSCL-25) are used to measure friendship quality and psychological distress in the form of depressive symptoms. Participants of this study were 746 tenth graders from five high schools in Jakarta as an urban city. The result of this study shows that there is a significant difference in friendship quality between male and female adolescents, where female adolescents tend to have higher friendship quality compared to friendship among male adolescents. Contrary to findings from previous studies, this study shows a positive correlation between friendship quality and depression. This finding indicates higher friendship quality correlates with higher depressive symptoms, whereas lower friendship quality correlates with lower depressive symptoms among adolescents. Future research is needed to explore the dynamics of the positive correlation between friendship quality and depression.