Friendship Patterns Research Articles

A qualitative study of adolescents, parents and key informants' experiences towards the importance of peer groups

Background and Purpose: One landmark of adolescence is the increasing value young people place on friendship and relationship with peers.The aim of this study was to determine adolescents and key informants' perceptions and experiences regarding to importance of peer groups. Methods: Sixty-seven female adolescents (12-19 years) and 11 key informants, recruited from urban and rural areas from Sari in the North of Iran using non-probability sampling, participated in eight focus group discussions and semi structured interviews. All tape-recorded data was fully transcribed and thematic analysis was done to identify key themes. Results: Qualitative content analysis demonstrated five original categories related to importance of peer group in adolescents health including:Acceptance in peer group, Support from friends, Providing the appropriate conditions for healthy relationships with the opposite sex, Positive patterns of friendship and Avoiding from unfavorablefriends. Conclusion: Peers can have either positive or negative effects on adolescent's health. To have the most positive impact on adolescent health, parents and community organizations must work together in a comprehensive approach.

How Transitional Changes in Family and Friendship Patterns at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century Influence Participation in Quaker Networks

This article describes the impact of family change at the beginning of the twenty-first century on participation in British Quaker networks. It demonstrates the importance of friendships and shows how these can be formed whenever Friends come to the Religious Society of Friends and are sustained by active and continued involvement with the Society’s work. Finally it shows how friendship and participation builds the Society’s social capital.

Generation, ethnic and religious diversity in friendship choice: exploring interethnic close ties in Britain

Interethnic friendships can reflect intergroup relations and immigrants' integration into host societies. Using pooled 2007–09 Citizenship Surveys, this study investigates interethnic friendship patterns and determinants of friendship choice in Britain. The paper focuses on generational, ethnic and religious diversity in forming interethnic close ties. The most common friendship pattern is having co-ethnic close friends. This ethnic boundary in interethnic ties, however, weakens across generations whereby those born in or migrated to Britain at young ages have a higher chance of having close friends from other ethnic groups. We find that interethnic friendships are formed in a ‘pan-ethnic’ pattern by which those with similar ethnic/racial and religious background such as Muslim Indians and Pakistanis, or mixed white and black Caribbean and black Caribbean, are more likely to nominate one another as close friends.

Uma Abordagem da Teoria do Complexo de Segurança sobre as águas transfronteiriças do Rio Jordão / An approach of the Security Complex Theory applied to the transboundary waters of the Jordan River

The aim of this study is to address the characteristics of the security complex in the environmental sector concerning the transboundary waters in the Jordan River basin in the Middle East. To do so, the interests that guide the security relations between the states involved in managing the water resources in this river basin are identified, which are marked by border conflicts, latent ethnic interests and ideological alignments with historical links. This context, according to Buzan (2009), demonstrates the nature of insecurity with different power forces, in that the states are part of a regional security sub-system that can be seen in terms of patterns of friendship and animosity confined to a particular geographical area, to wit, the sharing of transboundary waters from the Jordan river and interest in controlling or sharing these water resources. Keywords : Security Complex; Management of Transboundary Water Resources; Jordan River Basin Received on November 2, 2012 / Accepted on November 30, 2012

A Latent Class Analysis of Friendship Network Types and Their Predictors in the Second Half of Life

Friendships contribute uniquely to well-being in (late) adulthood. However, studies on friendship often ignore interindividual differences in friendship patterns. The aim of this study was to investigate such differences including their predictors. The study builds on Matthews's qualitative model of friendship styles. Matthews distinguished 3 approaches to friendship differing by number of friends, duration of friendships, and emotional closeness. We used latent class analysis to identify friendship network types in a sample of middle-aged and older adults aged 40-85 years (N = 1,876). Data came from the German Aging Survey (DEAS). Our analysis revealed 4 distinct friendship network types that were in high congruence with Matthews's typology. We identified these as a discerning style, which focuses on few close relationships, an independent style, which refrains from close engagements, and 2 acquisitive styles that both acquire new friends across their whole life course but differ regarding the emotional closeness of their friendships. Socioeconomic status, gender, health, and network-disturbing and network-sustaining variables predicted affiliations with network types. We argue that future studies should consider a holistic view of friendships in order to better understand the association between friendships and well-being in the second half of life.

Workplace Friendships among Bank Employees in Eastern Libya

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine workplace friendships among 536 employees of Wahda Bank in four cities in Eastern Libya. In this study, a Workplace Friendship Scale (WFS) was used to assess opportunities for and the presence of friendships. Participants in this study reported mainly positive friendships at the workplace. Participants of different gender, ages, education levels, cities, and durations of work in different departments reported various opportunities for workplace friendships. However, marital status and type of occupation were not significantly related to friendships at the workplace. Findings suggest both similar and unique patterns of friendships compared to those studied outside Libya.

Friendship networks and social status

AbstractIn empirical studies of friendship networks, participants are typically asked, in interviews or questionnaires, to identify some or all of their close friends, resulting in a directed network in which friendships can, and often do, run in only one direction between a pair of individuals. Here we analyze a large collection of such networks representing friendships among students at US high and junior-high schools and show that the pattern of unreciprocated friendships is far from random. In every network, without exception, we find that there exists a ranking of participants, from low to high, such that almost all unreciprocated friendships consist of a lower ranked individual claiming friendship with a higher ranked one. We present a maximum-likelihood method for deducing such rankings from observed network data and conjecture that the rankings produced reflect a measure of social status. We note in particular that reciprocated and unreciprocated friendships obey different statistics, suggesting different formation processes, and that rankings are correlated with other characteristics of the participants that are traditionally associated with status, such as age and overall popularity as measured by total number of friends.

Undocumented Latino College Students: Their Socioemotional and Academic Experiences by William Pérez, Richard Douglas Cortés (review)

Reviewed by: Undocumented Latino College Students: Their Socioemotional and Academic Experiences by William Pérez, Richard Douglas Cortés Cecilia Rios-Aguilar William Pérez and Richard Douglas Cortés. Undocumented Latino College Students: Their Socioemotional and Academic Experiences. El Paso, TX: LFB Scholarly Publishing, 2011. 186 pp. Cloth: $65.00. ISBN: 978-1-5933-2393-6. In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (in Plyler v. Doe) that undocumented children could attend public schools regardless of their immigration status (Olivas, 2012). The population of undocumented youth in the United States is substantial—approximately 2.1 million (Batalova & McHugh, 2010). This group is growing up with protected legal access to public education from kindergarten to high school. However, for these undocumented students, the transition to college and to the job market involves leaving the legally protected status of K-12 students and taking on adult roles that require legal status as the basis for participation (Gonzales, 2011). This switching among contexts makes for a tempestuous transition and has important implications for identity formation, friendship patterns, aspirations and expectations, and social and economic mobility (Gonzales, 2011). In spite of the barriers they experience, many undocumented students are now going to college. In particular, community colleges because they are conveniently located, cost much less than four-year colleges, feature open admissions, and accommodate students who work or have family responsibilities, are suited to meet the educational needs of immigrants and undocumented students who want to obtain an affordable postsecondary education, learn English-language skills, and prepare for the labor market (Teranishi, Suárez-Orozco, & Suárez-Orozco, 2011). Unfortunately, very little is known about the college experiences of undocumented students in community colleges. With some limitations, Pérez and Cortés’s (2011) book represents a timely contribution to the topic of immigration and higher education and presents a much-needed perspective on the socioemotional experiences of Latino undocumented students in community colleges. The book is well organized into six chapters. Chapter 1 states the goal of the book and describes the political and educational context that undocumented immigrants face in the United States. Chapter 2 provides a thorough literature review on students’ psychological well-being and introduces the socioemotional framework used to analyze undocumented students’ college experiences. It is worth noting that Pérez and Cortés’s (2011) literature review can be used as a teaching tool for those who are new to this topic. They provide the readers with an excellent overview of the available scholarship on undocumented students and higher education. Furthermore, the comprehensive review provides background information on the contexts (e.g., economic and institutional) that affect undocumented students in higher education and particularly the struggles that these students encounter due to their immigration status both in and out of educational settings. They also describe the study’s two-part methodology: (a) survey data from 37 undocumented students, (b) 24 student interviews, and (c) in-depth interviews with eight community college personnel. Chapter 3 presents the narratives of undocumented students who experience feelings of shame, anger, despair, marginalization, and uncertainty stemming from discrimination, anti-immigrant sentiment, fear of deportation, and systemic barriers (e.g., ineligibility for financial aid and unwelcoming and unsupportive environments). Take, for instance, the stories of Jacinto and Esperanza who often feel “a sense of humiliation and voicelessness due to their undocumented status” (p. 50). They constantly expressed how difficult and shameful it is not to have a driver’s license to prove their identity. Esperanza describes how depressed she gets when she thinks about graduating from college because she will not be able to work in her desired field. All of her hard work has brought her academic success in college, but her narrative ends with her not being able to get a job where she could use her college degree. Chapter 4 highlights the important role that institutional agents play in buffering these students’ negative college experiences. The authors found that, despite moments of despair and an uncertain future, rather than becoming dejected, [End Page 429] undocumented Latino students reframe their circumstances in positive terms. Chapter 5 elaborates on the institutional perspective of undocumented students. Community college personnel interviews reveal that...

Parental choice of schooling, learning processes and inter-ethnic friendship patterns: The case of Malay students in Chinese primary schools in Malaysia

This study surveys 200 Malay students enrolled in three Chinese primary schools in relation to three issues, i.e., parental choice of schooling, learning processes and inter-ethnic friendship patterns. The three issues are explored through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Parental expectations for their children's learning and academic outcomes emerge as the dominant factor influencing Malay enrollment in Chinese primary schools. Unfortunately, the Malay students are unable to meet these high expectations due to learning difficulties that stem from the lack of proficiency in the Chinese-medium of instruction, despite intervening measures by the school authorities. Their learning difficulties are also compounded by the lack of parental inputs as well as the limited use of code-switching by teachers. Meanwhile, the fostering of inter-ethnic friendships is impeded by ethnic differences, the rise of Islamic awareness and the increased numerical size of Malay students. However, there is a willingness among the Malay students to interact with the Chinese students through task-related activities, indicating that the fostering of inter-ethnic friendships needs to be guided by a convergence of interests.

Friendship Values and Cross-Category Friendships: Understanding Adult Friendship Patterns Across Gender, Sexual Orientation and Race

The present research used an intersectional analysis in examining whether women and men who have, versus do not have, cross-category friendships differ in what they value as important in a close friendship. Parallel analyses were conducted to examine cross-orientation and cross-race friendships across gender and identity status (minority and majority), with age as a covariate for all analyses. Participants were 1415 adult women and men, ranging in age from 18-80, residing in the United States, who completed a friendship profile questionnaire by reporting basic demographic information about themselves and their close friends. Participants’ importance ratings of six different friendship values were utilized to interrogate existing friendship patterns. Three general friendship values (trust and honesty, respect friend as person, there when needed) and three cross-identity salient friendship values (similar lives & experiences, similar values, nonjudgmental) were considered. Individuals with and without cross-category friendships did not significantly differ in their ratings for any of the three general friendship values. Individuals with cross-orientation and cross-race friendships placed less importance on similar lives & experiences than those with no such friendships. Other cross-identity salient friendship values were uniquely related to cross-orientation and cross-race friendship patterns. Although women rated all six friendship values as more important than did men, women and men displayed similar friendship value patterns across cross-category friendships and identity. These findings are discussed in the context of feminist intersectional theory.

Educational Attainment in a High Performing School District: The Relative Significance of Class

INTRODUCTIONThis paper sheds light on the considerable weight social class incurs in determining different rates of educational attainment within racial and ethnic groups in suburban public schools. The intersection of race, ethnicity, and class to analyze the growing complexities of inequalities in educational outcomes is a popular topic for social scientists and a growing concern for policy analysts4. We take a unique approach in analyzing educational attainment, as our focus is on educational differences for students within the same racial and ethnic groups in suburban schools rather than among these groups.Perhaps one of the least expected consequences of the fair housing legislation enacted to end housing segregation during the civil rights era was the flight of middle-class African- Americans and other minorities to the suburbs (Wilson, 1987). According to recent data released by the Maryland Department of Planning, the three counties most adjacent to Washington, DC have a minority population ranging from 42 percent in Montgomery and Charles counties to 81 percent in Prince George's County in 2010. The Washington, DC inner suburbs are not an anomaly with regard to this type of demographic breakdown. As of late, increased racial and ethnic diversity in many suburban areas have been further stratified by class after recent immigrants and other disadvantaged populations priced out of inner city neighborhoods by gentrification, urban renewal, and the changing character of solidarity among many traditional neighborhoods in cities around the country relocate outside cities boundaries.One of the most significant consequences of the stratification process pertains to how proficiency levels, once exclusively experienced by decaying city public schools, are now evident in many inner suburbs throughout the nation. Even in highly successful school districts serving affluent populations, profound inequalities in educational outcomes have emerged. 5 Once student outcomes are desegregated by income, the achievement picture discussed publicly by educational officials from suburban school districts with high educational attainment rates begins to change drastically.In Montgomery County, our particular case study, population movement and the structure of displacement have manifested in one of two ways. At the county level, there is a skew pattern of income disparity that runs along the county's East/West corridor. There are high concentrations of affordable housing and lower middle-class quarters in the Eastern end bordering Prince George's County while the more affluent residents congregate on the Western side of the county. For reasons related to affordability and accessibility, the Eastern region also serves as a gateway for new immigrants. At the neighborhood level, patterns of social networks, friendships, and generosity ties, have resulted in the clustering of low-income residents in more affordable housing districts changing the social composition of mixed neighborhoods and public schools.The town of Wheaton is an example of the extent to which these demographic changes manifest themselves in some suburban municipalities. A town of about fifty thousand, Wheaton came to life in the 1950s as a result of the explosion of federal workers and war veterans who took advantage of low interest and accessible home mortgage loans to escape the city for suburbia while still enjoying a relatively short and pleasant commute to work in downtown Washington, DC. According to a recent article in the Washington Post, in 1990, 61 percent of Wheaton' s population identified themselves as White, 15 percent as African American, 13 percent as Hispanic, and 10 percent as Asian. In just ten years, however, the White population decreased by half. Twenty years later, Whites only accounted for 26 percent of the population, while African Americans accounted for 18 percent, and Asians for 12 percent. Once a minority among Wheaton' s residents, the Hispanic population has grown to 42 percent of the total town population (Washington Post, February 15, 2010, ? …

Embeddedness and empathy: How the social network shapes adolescents' social understanding

Based on theories of social-cognitive development, the present study investigated the yet unknown social structure that underlies the concept of empathy in adolescence. A total of 3.159 seventh graders (13.67 years, 56% girls) from 166 school classes participated by providing information on empathy, related psychosocial factors, and friendship patterns. Social network analyses were used to measure a comprehensive representation of adolescents' social environment by covering individual, group, class, and school characteristics. Multilevel models revealed that individual characteristics as well as contextual factors predict adolescents' level of empathy. Findings indicate that empathy is mirrored in the social structure of adolescents supporting the hypothesis that social demands, which continuously grow with the amount of embeddedness, shape their social understanding.

“Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who your friends will be”: Consistency and change in social competence in adolescent friendships across school transitions

This study examined selection effects in behavioral similarity between adolescents and their new best friends after a school transition. Participants were 322 adolescents with a best friend in elementary school (Time 1, age 11) and a new best friend three years later in secondary school (Time 2, age 14). Three aspects of participants’ and their two best friends’ social competence were measured (antisocial behavior, prosocial behavior, low sociability). Structural equation modeling was used to predict the competence profiles of the adolescents’ new friends from their own and their previous friends’ social competence. There was evidence for the consistency across friendships in sociability and antisocial behavior. Findings indicate consistency and opportunities for change in friendship patterns across developmental transitions in adolescence.

Social integration in youth: Insights from a social network perspective.

Research repeatedly demonstrates the detrimental consequences of social isolation, but little is known of why adolescents lack social integration. Therefore, the present study uses social network analyses to take a unique look at adolescents’ degree of integration. A total of 317 seventh through ninth graders (13.7 years, 162 girls) out of 18 classes reported friendship patterns and their respective class teachers provided information on students’ social skills. Results showed that social-skill indicators improve with higher categories of integration. Furthermore, in two-level-random-intercept models (L1: adolescents, L2: peer groups), indicators of social skills predicted the degree of integration each adolescent had on both the individual and the contextual level. Findings support the importance of adaptive peer relationships, because the degree to which adolescents are socially integrated in class is not merely related to their own but also to their friends’ social-psychological constitution.

Diagnostic Instability: How Much Is Too Much?

Diagnostic Instability: How Much Is Too Much?

Why do people lose their friends after a stroke?

It is well-known that people lose friends after a stroke; what is less well understood is why this occurs. This study explored why people lose contact with their friends, and whether there are any protective factors. It also examined how friendship loss and change is perceived by the individual. Participants with a first stroke were recruited from one acute stroke unit in the UK. In-depth qualitative interviews took place between 8 and 15 months post stroke. 29 participants were recruited of whom 10 had aphasia. The main reasons given for losing friends were: loss of shared activities, reduced energy levels, physical disability, aphasia, unhelpful responses of others, environmental barriers, and changing social desires. The subset of participants who experienced the most extensive loss of friends were those who described a sense that they were 'closing in' on themselves leading to a withdrawal from social contact and a new preference for meeting only close friends and family. Those with aphasia experienced the most hurtful negative responses from others and found it more difficult to retain their friends unless they had strong supportive friendship patterns prior to the stroke. The factors which helped to protect friendships included: having a shared history, friends who showed concern, who lived locally, where the friendship was not activity-based, and where the participant had a 'friends-based' social network prior to the stroke. Given the link between depression and loss of friends post stroke, supporting an individual in maintaining a social network is likely to be beneficial. For intervention to be effective, however, it may need to take into account not only the impact of new physical and language disabilities, but also changing social desires.

Self-disclosure to the best friend: Friendship quality and internalized sexual stigma in Italian lesbian and gay adolescents

This study is the first contribution to the understanding of gender differences in best friendship patterns of adolescents sexual minorities. We explored friendship patterns, self-disclosure, and internalized sexual stigma in an Italian sample of lesbian (N = 202) and gay (N = 201) adolescents (aged 14–22 years). We found gender differences in cross-sex and cross-orientation patterns of best friendship. Gay men (52%) reported more cross-sex friendships than lesbians (20%). The 52% of participants had cross-orientation friendships, and no differences were found between lesbians and gay men. Lesbian and gay men with a cross-orientation best friend showed a lower level of internalized sexual stigma. Gay men with cross-orientation friendship showed a low level of internalized sexual stigma and less conflict with a best friend. For gay men and lesbian participants, self-disclosure to the best friend was better predicted by internalized sexual stigma and self-disclosure. Future studies may provide direct comparisons between heterosexual and sexual minority individuals.

Friendship Pattern as a Correlate of Age and Gender Differences among Urban Adolescents

This study was conducted to assess the gender dif ferences in the pattern of friendships among urban adolescents (14-17 years). The study was based upon a sample of 200 adolescents (100 boys and 100 girls) drawn equally from four randomly selected schools of Ludhiana city. A list of all students aged between 14-17 years in selected schools was prepared by ascertaining their date of birth from school records. 50 boys and 50 girls from two age groups, that is, 14-15.5 and 15.5-17 years were taken to make a total of 100 boys and 100 girls. The results revealed that females exhibited significantly more intense friendship as compared to their male counterparts, yet the dif ferences were greater in the older adolescents as compared to the younger ones. Friendship patterns in males were better in younger years whereas, females exhibited almost similar patterns of friendship in both the age-groups

Learning to Be Illegal

This article examines the transition to adulthood among 1.5-generation undocumented Latino young adults. For them, the transition to adulthood involves exiting the legally protected status of K to 12 students and entering into adult roles that require legal status as the basis for participation. This collision among contexts makes for a turbulent transition and has profound implications for identity formation, friendship patterns, aspirations and expectations, and social and economic mobility. Undocumented children move from protected to unprotected, from inclusion to exclusion, from de facto legal to illegal. In the process, they must learn to be illegal, a transformation that involves the almost complete retooling of daily routines, survival skills, aspirations, and social patterns. These findings have important implications for studies of the 1.5- and second-generations and the specific and complex ways in which legal status intervenes in their coming of age. The article draws on 150 interviews with undocumented 1.5-generation young adult Latinos in Southern California.

Can friendships be bipartisan? The effects of political ideology on peer relationships

Although political ideology has been examined extensively as a predictor of individual differences, it has been absent in the interpersonal relationships literature. Political ideology may have strong effects on friendship patterns because of its polarizing nature. Findings among actual friendship groups (Study 1) indicated a degree of similarity in peers’ political ideology alignments, but also suggested that liberals and conservatives were comfortable with some level of bipartisanship among their friends. In an experimental condition with hypothetical peers (Study 2), individuals’ political ideology predicted their reported friendship potential (perceived similarity and desire for friendship) with gay-affirming and gay-disapproving peers whose ideologies were not explicitly indicated. This effect of political ideology on friendship potential was significant over and above the effect predicted by individuals’ similarity or dissimilarity on sexual minority attitudes with these peers. Findings highlight the overarching relevance of political ideology as a factor that contributes to friendship patterns.