Peer Affiliation Research Articles

Basic Need Satisfaction through Social Media Engagement: A Developmental Framework for Understanding Adolescent Social Media Use

This article provides a theoretical review of how within notions of self-determination theory adolescents’ use of social media can contribute to both the satisfaction and/or frustration of their basic psychological needs and thus contribute to (or impede) their attainment of key developmental goals in adolescence, such as identity formation and peer affiliation, and how these may impact their overall well-being. In this way, this work provides important insights into the motivational (i.e., basic psychological need satisfaction) and developmental (i.e., identity formation and peer affiliation) processes underlying youths’ social media engagement and has important implications for future research, as well as the development of intervention and prevention efforts targeting youth experiencing negative outcomes related to their social media engagement.

A developmental cascade model of adolescent peer relationships, substance use, and psychopathological symptoms from child maltreatment

IntroductionAlthough previous studies have demonstrated high intercorrelations among deviant peer affiliation, substance use, externalizing and internalizing symptoms in adolescence, these studies have been limited because they did not examine 1) the associations over time by assuming one particular sequence; and 2) child maltreatment effects. MethodsThis study included 617 adolescents (54.3 % girls, 55.6 % Black) at-risk of maltreatment living in the U.S and primarily low-income. Deviant peer affiliation was assessed at ages 12, 14, and 16 using 13 items from the modified version of the Youth Risk Behavior and Monitoring the Future Survey. Externalizing and internalizing symptoms were measured at ages 12, 14, and 16 using the Child Behavior Checklist. The number of substances used (ages 12, 14, 16, and 18) were created by summing the self-reported alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. Each type of maltreatment (birth to age 12) was assessed using the self-report. ResultsAutoregressive cross-lagged structural equation modeling explained the stability effects within each domain, as well as how different maltreatment types affect diverse developmental processes. Cross-lagged results showed the socialization effects of peers on substance use, whereas the peer selection effects on externalizing symptoms. Physical abuse was only associated with externalizing symptoms, while sexual abuse was associated with both externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Additionally, emotional abuse was associated with deviant peer affiliation and substance use. ConclusionsIdentifying the underlying reciprocal processes offers a deeper understanding of peer relationships in the substance use and externalizing symptoms among at-risk of maltreatment sample.

The Effect Of Parenting Style And Peer Association On Student’s Learning Discipline

This research aims to determine the effect of parenting style and peer association on students learning discipline in an elementary school cluster 5, region III, Cakung district. This research uses a quantitative approach meaning that the data that has been collected in this research is presented in form of numbers and analyzed using statistics with the help of SPSS Version 26. The sampling technic used in this research is proportionate stratified random sampling. The sample was taken from 85 students in IV, V, and VI grades, and selected randomly. The data collection technic uses primary data obtained through questionnaires and documents/archives. The data analysis technic uses a multiple regression technic, with partial hypothesis testing (t-test), simulation (F test), also coefficient determination (R2). The result of this research shows the significant effect of parenting style and peer association on students learning discipline in an elementary school cluster 5, region III, Cakung district, With F-count bigger than F-table (798,504>3,123, and the significant value is smaller than 0,05 (0,000<0,05), also R2 is 97% which is explained by independent variable on the dependent variable and the rest 2,5% which is explained by another uninspected variable.

Parental and Adolescent Educational Expectations and Adolescent Problem Behaviors: The Role of Deviant Peer Affiliations.

The comprehensive theory model of problem behaviors proposed that expectations are important factors affecting adolescent problem behaviors. The purpose of this study is to explore the association between educational expectations (in this study, this includes parental educational expectations and adolescent selfeducational expectations) and problem behaviors based on the framework of the CTMPB to provide empirical support for the prevention and intervention of adolescent problem behaviors. This study used cross-sectional data from the 2014-2015 academic year of the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) conducted by the China survey and data center at the Renmin University of China. A nationwide representative sample of 9936 junior high school students was selected. Among them, 4870 (52.2%) were female, and the average age was 14.52 years (SD = 0.67 years). The results revealed that adolescent selfeducational expectations and deviant peer affiliations played a contributory mediating role in the association between parental educational expectations and adolescent problem behaviors. Both parental educational expectations and adolescent selfeducational expectations are protective factors against adolescent problem behaviors, and enhancing the two factors can decrease the likelihood of adolescent engagement in problem behaviors. In addition, deviant peer affiliations are risk factors for adolescent problem behaviors and represent a mediating factor between educational expectations and adolescent problem behaviors. However, this study was only based on cross-sectional data, requiring further support by longitudinal or experimental studies.

Parental marital conflict and internet gaming disorder among Chinese adolescents: The multiple mediating roles of deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship.

A considerable amount of evidence suggests that parental marital conflict is an important factor in adolescents' internet gaming disorder (IGD). However, the mechanism underlying this relationship remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between parental marital conflict and IGD among Chinese adolescents, and whether this relationship is mediated by deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship. There were 698 Chinese adolescents that took part in the study (51.58% male; Mage = 13.52). They completed self-report questionnaires regarding perception of parental marital conflict, deviant peer affiliation, teacher-student relationship and IGD. Structural equation model (SEM) was used to examine the relationship between parental marital conflict and adolescents' IGD, as well as the mediating roles of deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship. Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between parental marital conflict, deviant peer affiliation, and IGD, as well as a negative correlation between them and teacher-student relationship. The results of the SEM showed that parental marital conflict not only predicts adolescent IGD directly, but also through the mediation effects of deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship. Additionally, deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship not only play an independent but also a sequential mediating effect in the relationship between parental marital conflict and IGD. The relationship between parental marital conflict and IGD is mediated by deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship, which has potential prevention and intervention value for adolescent IGD.

Longitudinal association between interparental conflict and risk-taking behavior among Chinese adolescents: testing a moderated mediation model

BackgroundThe interparental conflict has been associated with an increased adolescents’ engagement in risk-taking behaviors. However, few studies have examined the potential mediation of deviant peer affiliation and the potential moderation of school climate. Grounded in the ecological system theory, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of deviant peer affiliation and the moderating role of school climate between the association of interparental conflict and risk-taking behavior.MethodsThis study conducted a longitudinal design (3 time points, 3 months apart) with the sample comprising 550 middle school students in southeastern China (52.91% males; mean age at Time 1 = 15.37). The performed measurements encompassed interparental conflict (T1), deviant peer affiliation (T2), school climate (T3), risk-taking behavior (T1/T2/T3), and demographic information.ResultsThe moderated mediation model revealed that after controlling for T1/T2 risk-taking behavior, T1 interparental conflict was longitudinally and positively correlated with T3 risk-taking behavior through T2 deviant peer affiliation. Furthermore, moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that a positive school climate ameliorated the adverse impact of deviant peer affiliation on risk-taking behavior, thereby mitigating the indirect effect of interparental conflict on risk-taking behavior among adolescents.ConclusionsOur findings propose a nuanced explanation of the processing mechanisms between interparental conflict and risk-taking behaviors among Chinese adolescents. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

The Loneliness of Low-Income Older Adults in a Federal Volunteering Program: A Network Perspective.

Volunteering has been associated with increased social interactions and reduced feelings of loneliness among older adults. However, a growing number of social network analyses (SNA) conducted in the general population outside of volunteering contexts suggest that lonely individuals tended to interact with other lonely individuals in the network, reinforcing loneliness through peer associations. To better understand the psychosocial impact of peer interactions among older adults within volunteer programs, this study examines how older adults' loneliness is correlated with their peers' loneliness within the Senior Companions Program (SCP). This study collected information on the social networks within an SCP in a Midwest Metropolitan and feelings of loneliness among low-income Russian, Khmer, Somali, Nepali, and English-speaking older volunteers (N = 41). A linear network autocorrelation model (LNAM) was constructed to quantify how volunteers' loneliness is correlated with their peers' loneliness within SCP. The LNAM results indicated that less lonely volunteers tended to make friends with lonelier volunteers (ρ = -.06, p < .05) in SCP even when accounting for statistical controls. The finding that more and less lonely individuals connect indicates an altruistic tendency for less lonely individuals to interact with those who are lonelier. This may be an important pathway by which volunteering addresses loneliness.

Kekemeliği Olan ve Olmayan Erişkinlerin Okul Dönemi Akran Zorbalığı Mağduriyet Öz Bildirimlerinin Karşılaştırılması: Geriye Dönük Anket Çalışması

Objective: Individual differences increase the probability of being bullied, and there are some adverse consequences of victimization. Children who stutter have been reported to be more likely than their peers to be bullied, but there is a scarcity of data on the rates of bullying victimization among individuals who stutter compared to their peers in Türkiye. Therefore, this study investigated school-age peer victimization rates and experiences of adults who do (AWS) and do not (AWNS) stutter in Türkiye. Material and Methods: This was a case-control self-reported retrospective survey study. One hundred AWS and 100 AWNS (age range: 18-48) participated. The school-age peer victimization experiences of AWS and AWNS were compared using closed-ended survey items. Results: Sixty-four percent of AWS and 41% of AWNS reported being bullying victims during school, which indicates a considerably higher risk of being bullied (p=0.001). The comparisons between AWS and AWNS showed that AWS had significantly more difficulty in maintaining friendships (p=0.03), but the comparisons between AWS and AWNS who experienced bullying showed that there were no differences between groups in maintaining friendships. Both groups reported that bullying mostly had adverse emotional (AWS: 71.9% and AWNS: 73.2%) and social (AWS: 60.9% and AWNS: 63.4%) effects. Conclusion: Being a bullying victim had adverse emotional and social consequences. Strong peer ties are essential in minimizing victimization; thus, further research into predictive role of friendship relations between stuttering and bullying is suggested.

South Korean adolescents' delinquency, disclosure, parental knowledge, parent-child closeness, and delinquent peer associations.

The present study sought to examine longitudinal associations among delinquency, children's disclosure to parents, parent-child relationship quality, and parental knowledge in a South Korean sample. Longitudinal research shows that in Western samples, delinquency is negatively associated with the latter three variables. We also sought to test whether the associations varied across gender. We found little evidence of significant reciprocal relationships among the variables and no differences in associations across gender. A second analysis revealed that adolescents' involvement with delinquent peers was a good predictor of subsequent delinquency for males and females. Implications of the findings for future research and practice are discussed.

Harsh parental discipline and school bullying among Chinese adolescents: The role of moral disengagement and deviant peer affiliation

School bullying is prevalent worldwide and poses a serious threat to the safety of school and students. However, few studies have explored the relationship between harsh parental discipline and adolescents’ school bullying. The current study aims to explore the internal mechanism between the two in the Chinese cultural context, and further test the mediating effect of moral disengagement and the moderating effect of deviant peer affiliation. This study recruited 1,246 students in eastern and southern China (average age = 14.48 ± 1.48) to complete the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale, Moral Disengagement Scale, Deviant Peer Affiliation Scale, and the Olweus Bully Questionnaire. The results showed that: The prevalence of school bullying among adolescents accounted for 33.5 %, from most to least are verbal bullying, relational bullying and physical bullying. Harsh parental discipline positively predicted school bullying among Chinese adolescents. After controlling for gender and school type, moral disengagement partially mediated the association between harsh parental discipline and school bullying, and deviant peer affiliation moderated the first and second halves of the mediation effect. Current findings reveal that parents should adopt proper parenting styles and intervene appropriately in their children’s dating choices.

Deviant peer affiliation, parent involvement, and aggressive behaviors of rural children in China.

Aggressive behaviors in early childhood may indicate future violence, so effective intervention measures should be taken on time to promote children's physical and psychological health. Based on sampling survey data from Jintang County in Sichuan Province of China, this paper analyzes the mechanism of rural children's aggressive behaviors from the perspective of peer influences and examines the role of parent involvement in it. The results show that the deeper the degree of deviant peer affiliation, the poorer the psychosocial adaptation of rural children, which is more likely to lead to aggressive behaviors. Parent involvement can effectively inhibit the aggressive behaviors of rural children arising from deviant peer affiliation.

Parental Attachment and Adolescent Moral Reaction Modes: The Serial Mediating Model of the Teacher-Student Relationship and Deviant Peer Affiliation.

Moral decision outcomes and emotional experiences after moral decisions are combined to create four moral reaction modes: happy victimizer (HV), unhappy victimizer (UHV), happy moralist (HM), and unhappy moralist (UHM). This study aimed to explore the relationships between parental attachment (PA) and adolescent moral reaction modes, and further examine the mechanism of the serial mediating effects of the teacher-student relationship (TS) and deviant peer affiliation (DP). A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 among 3053 students (including 1496 females) from four middle schools, four high schools, and three colleges in China using a voluntary and anonymous questionnaire. Our study reveals that PA was positively associated with HM modes and negatively associated with UHM, UHV, and HV modes. Both TS and DP serially or partly mediated the relationship between PA and adolescents' four moral reaction modes. This study uncovered significant social relationship pathways for moral reaction modes. TS and DP are two important mediators between PA and moral reaction modes. Secure parental attachment can develop positive teacher-student and peer relationships. This can then encourage adolescents to behave in more positive HM modes and fewer UHM/HV/UHV modes.

Deviant peer affiliation mediates the prospective association from impulsivity to alcohol use in late adolescence.

Previous research has found that impulsivity and deviant peer affiliation predict alcohol use among adolescents. However, it remains unclear to what extent these risk factors predict alcohol use in conjunction with one another, and to what extent they predict over and above correlated risk factors, such as pre-existing externalizing problems and sociodemographic characteristics. The present study tested the hypothesis that deviant peer affiliation would mediate the prospective association between impulsivity and alcohol use in adolescence (ages 13-18 years), controlling for a wide range of family and child-level covariates. Analyses were conducted using data from 2318 participants from the Longitudinal Cohort Study of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. Participants were approximately 9, 12, or 15 years of age at wave 1 of the study, with waves 2 and 3 taking place at approximately 2-year intervals. The sample composition was 50.3% male, 46.1% Hispanic, 35.6% Black, non-Hispanic, 14.4% White, non-Hispanic, and 3.9% other race/ethnicity. Results from path analyses indicated that the prospective association between impulsivity and alcohol use was mediated by peer deviance, but only for the oldest (age 15) cohort. Findings from the present study suggest that despite impulsivity being a dispositional characteristic, its effects on alcohol use in later adolescence are achieved through a social pathway, via affiliation with deviant peers. It further suggests that this pathway, especially the link from impulsivity to affiliation with deviant peers, may not operate until late adolescence. Findings suggest that alcohol use may be prevented or reduced among impulsive adolescents by reducing their exposure to delinquent peers.

Deviant Peer Affiliation and Adolescent Tobacco and Alcohol Use: The Roles of Tobacco and Alcohol Information Exposure on Social Networking Sites and Digital Literacy.

Due to the prevalence and severe harm of adolescent tobacco and alcohol use, researchers have been paying attention to its influencing factors. From the perspective of the ecological techno-subsystem theory, this study aimed to examine the correlations between deviant peer affiliation, tobacco and alcohol information exposure on social networking sites (SNSs), and adolescent tobacco and alcohol use, as well as the potential protective role of digital literacy. In total, 725 adolescents were recruited to participate in this study. The results showed that deviant peer affiliation was positively associated with adolescent tobacco and alcohol use, SNS tobacco and alcohol information exposure mediated this association, and digital literacy moderated the relationship between SNS information exposure and tobacco and alcohol use. Specifically, the association between SNS tobacco and alcohol information exposure and adolescent tobacco and alcohol use was weaker for those with high digital literacy. These findings not only explore the combined effects of offline and online risk factors but also provide guides for preventing adolescents' tobacco and alcohol use by cultivating and enhancing digital literacy.

Examining the mediating role of peer antisocial behavior on the relationship between parenting and bullying behaviors

ABSTRACT Although prior research has established the influence of parents and peers on adolescents’ bullying behaviors, there is a void in the literature of the potential mediating effect of negative peer influence in the relationship between parenting practices and bullying behaviors among a United States sample. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance study, the present study examines the mediating role of peer antisocial behavior in the association between parenting (i.e., parental monitoring and maternal warmth) and adolescents’ bullying behaviors (i.e., bully perpetration, bully victimization, bully-victim, and non-involved). Results indicate that the effect of parental monitoring on youth who engaged in bully perpetration (vs. non-involved) was mediated by peer antisocial behavior. That is, poor parental monitoring increased delinquent peer association, which in turn predicted a high risk of engaging in bully perpetration. However, peer antisocial behavior did not mediate the relationship between parental monitoring and bully victimization (vs. non-involved) nor bully-victim (vs. non-involved). The findings have important implications for adolescents’ bullying behavior and possible intervention programs by informing researchers and practitioners about the mechanisms surrounding multiple types of bullying behaviors.

Parental Harsh Discipline and Cyberbullying Perpetration among Chinese College Students: Why and When are They Related?

ABSTRACT Cyberbullying is a prevalent phenomenon in Chinese college students. Previous research has identified parental harsh discipline as a potential risk factor for this behavior. However, little is known about why and when parental harsh discipline is related to cyberbullying. To fill in the gap, the present study constructed a moderated mediation model, in which deviant peer affiliation and moral identity were examined as two mediators, and empathy was examined as a moderator. Participants were 1,492 Chinese vocational college students (54.2% females) aged 17–25 years (M = 19.07, SD = 1.03). They completed an online survey measuring the variables of interest. Results indicated that deviant peer affiliation and moral identity separately and serially mediated the relationship between parental harsh discipline and cyberbullying perpetration. Empathy moderated the predictive effects of parental harsh discipline and deviant peer affiliation on cyberbullying perpetration, as well as the mediation effect via deviant peer affiliation. These effects were much weaker for students with higher levels of empathy. The present findings can extend our knowledge about the mechanisms linking parental harsh discipline to cyberbullying behavior. The implications and limitations of this study are further discussed.

Peer correlates of conduct problems in girls.

Conduct problems are increasingly prevalent in girls and they uniquely predict negative outcomes. Yet, few reliable risk factors for aggression and violence in girls and women have been identified. Although preliminary evidence suggests peer relationships may be central to the development of youth conduct problems, especially in girls, rigorous interactive models of peer risk and protective factors for conduct problems are lacking. Based on 3104 10-13-year-old girls in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study, we tested the independent associations of separate peer risk factors (i.e., relational aggression victimization, physical aggression victimization, and deviant peer affiliation) with multidimensional conduct problems, including their moderation by peer support. Being the victim of relational aggression, being the victim of physical aggression, and deviant peer affiliation were each positively associated with conduct problems and perpetration of aggression whereas peer support was negatively associated with youth report conduct problems and perpetration of physical aggression. Further, elevated peer support significantly attenuated the association of being the victim of relational aggression with teacher-rated conduct problems. These results highlight the sensitivity of conduct problems to peer risk factors and suggest that peer support designates important configurations of risk that differentially relate to conduct problems in girls.

Violent Video Game Exposure and Problem Behaviors among Children and Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Deviant Peer Affiliation for Gender and Grade Differences.

Based on problem behavior theory, a mediation model for gender and grade differences is explored in this study. The study examined gender and grade differences in the effects of violent video games and deviant peer affiliation on problem behaviors among children and adolescents. A total of 2118 children and adolescents from four primary and middle schools in China (M age = 13.08, SD = 2.17) were surveyed using an anonymous questionnaire on basic information, exposure to violent video games, deviant peer affiliation, and problem behaviors. The results showed that exposure to violent video games significantly positively predicted problem behaviors, and deviant peer affiliation played a mediating role. Significant gender and grade differences were found in the mediating effect. This finding helps understand the individual differences in the influencing factors of problem behaviors. Further, it has important implications for interventions to reduce problem behaviors among children and adolescents.

Psychological maltreatment and adolescent internet harassment perpetration: The mediating role of deviant peer affiliation and the moderating role of self-compassion

BackgroundPsychological maltreatment has been regarded as a risk factor for adolescent internet harassment. However, previous studies failed to take family, peer, and individual factors into account comprehensively when comes to adolescent internet harassment perpetration. ObjectiveBased on the Social-Ecological Diathesis–Stress Model, the present study established a moderated mediation model to investigate the mediating role of deviant peer affiliation in the association between psychological maltreatment and adolescent internet harassment perpetration, as well as the moderating role of self-compassion. Participants and settingA total of 1,592 Chinese adolescents (51.07 % girls, Mage = 13.23 years) participated in the current study. MethodThe participants completed questionnaires regarding demographics, psychological maltreatment, internet harassment perpetration, deviant peer affiliation, and self-compassion. ResultsPsychological maltreatment was positively related to adolescent internet harassment perpetration. Mediation analyses revealed that deviant peer affiliation partially mediated this relationship (indirect effect = 0.14, 95 % CI = [0.09, 0.20]). Moderated mediation analyses further indicated that self-compassion not only moderated the link between psychological maltreatment and adolescent internet harassment perpetration, with the effect being significant only for adolescents with low levels of self-compassion, but also moderated the indirect association between psychological maltreatment and internet harassment perpetration via deviant peer affiliation, with the association being much more potent for adolescents with low levels of self-compassion. ConclusionsThis study highlights the importance of considering multiple circumstantial and individual factors to understand the development of adolescents' externalizing problems.

Does mental health mediate the effect of deviant peer affiliation on school adaptation in migrant children: evidence from a nationally representative survey in China

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the impact of deviant peer affiliation on migrant children's school adaptation in China and explore the mediating role of mental health in the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation among migrant children. Study designThis was a cross-sectional study based on secondary data. MethodsThis study was based on the nationally representative China Education Panel Survey. Multiple linear regression models were used to quantify the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation among 1,012 migrant children aged 12–17 years. Bootstrap test was used to evaluate the mediating effect of children's mental health. ResultsDeviant peer affiliation showed a significant negative impact on the school adaptation of migrant children (β = −0.41, 95% confidence interval = −0.56 to −0.26). The relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation was partially mediated by children's mental health, resulting in an indirect effect of deviant peer affiliation on their school adaptation through their mental health (β = −0.05, 95% confidence interval = −0.09 to −0.03). The mediating role of mental health could explain 11.4% of the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation. ConclusionsAmong migrant children, deviant peer affiliation showed unique effects on their school adaptation. Taking care of their mental health might help improve their school adaptation.