Family Influences on Adolescents’ Peer Groups: Relations with Parents and Sibling Characteristics

Abstract

This exploratory study examines the influence of parents and siblings on adolescent peer group characteristics. Seventy-eight sibling dyads from six Bangalore high schools provided data used to explore the relationship between parental knowledge of events (parental monitoring), adolescent individual characteristics, sibling characteristics, and adolescent peer group characteristics. Results indicate that parental monitoring and sibling characteristics do predict adolescent and adolescents’ peers’ and substance use, however, it appears that familial influences on adolescent peer groups are mediated through adolescent characteristics. There is no evidence suggesting that older siblings are more influential than younger siblings or those same-sex sibling dyads are more similar than mixed-sex sibling dya