Abstract
Friendship similarities on behavioral and psychopathological characteristics have been proposed as risk factors for maladaptive development, yet these similarities have not been thoroughly investigated. The present study examined adolescent friendship similarities on aggression, inattention/hyperactivity, depression, and anxiety. Two hundred thirty-four 4th to 9th grade students (9- to 17-year-olds) completed self- and peer-report measures that identified friends and nonfriends and assessed behavioral and psychopathological characteristics. Friends were more similar than nonfriends on peer-reported inattention/hyperactivity. They also tended to be more similar than nonfriends on peer-reported aggression, self-reported inattention/hyperactivity, peer-reported depression, and self-reported anxiety. Female friends were more similar on peer-reported aggression and depression than male friends, whereas male friends tended to be more similar on self-reported inattention/hyperactivity. Understanding the similarities in friendships may help school counselors and therapists more adeptly address these behavioral and psychopathological characteristics in their clients.
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