Peer Group Membership Research Articles

Conceptual Framework for the Psychosocial Management of Depression in Adolescents in the North West Province, South Africa

Background A conceptual framework is imperative in the understanding of the psychosocial management of depression in adolescents, owing to the ability to effectively present and demonstrate the linking of concepts for an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon. Objectives This study aims To develop and validate a conceptual framework for the psychosocial management of depression in adolescents in the North West Province, South Africa. Methods A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, contextual research design was followed in two phases: the empirical phase (phase 1) and the development of a conceptual framework phase (phase 2). Phase 1 consisted of two steps: firstly, a systematic review (referred to as step 1), followed by qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research (referred to as step 2). The outcomes from the empirical phase served as the foundation for developing a conceptual framework for the psychosocial management of depression in adolescents, North West Province, South Africa. In Phase 2, the development of this conceptual framework was guided by addressing the six crucial questions introduced by Dickoff et al. (1968) regarding Practical Orientation and validated by Chinn and Kramer’s five criteria questions. Results The conceptual framework focused on mental health practitioners, immediate and extended family members of adolescents, social workers, psychologists and peer groups of adolescents, adolescents diagnosed with depression, mental health institutions, homes of adolescents, schools, religious institutions, and communities. Conclusion The conceptual framework for the psychosocial management of depression in adolescents provides comprehensive insights capable of enhancing the recovery process for adolescents dealing with depression. Implementing this conceptual framework has the potential to enhance professional practice, elevate the quality of care provided, and contribute to expanding the body of knowledge within the field of mental health.

Peer groups, academic achievement and the behaviour of elementary school‐aged children: A strength‐based perspective

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine how the members of children's peer groups resemble each other in terms of behavioural and emotional strengths, academic achievement and behaviour at school. The participants were 739 9‐ to 10‐year‐old children (354 boys, 385 girls) from 30 Finnish elementary schools. 431 children (241 girls, 190 boys) were part of peer groups. Less than 5% of participants were other than Finnish origin. The children self‐assessed their behavioural and emotional strengths, and teachers evaluated the children's academic achievement and behaviour at school. Children also filled the sociometric questionnaire and sociograms were drawn to identify peer groups. Standardized beta values of regression analyses were used as indicators of effect sizes. The results showed that when observed as a strength, children's school functioning was positively linked to both academic achievement and behaviour at school. The intraclass correlations (ICC) revealed that members of peer groups resembled each other in terms of behavioural strengths, and behaviour at school, but not in academic achievement. The gender composition of peer groups explained the variance in behaviour at school between peer groups. The results of this study highlight the importance to consider children's peer group also when implementing behavioural interventions.

Mixed-sex peer groups and violent delinquency: understanding the separate and combined influence of mixed-sex peer groups, sex, and romance on violent delinquency

ABSTRACT Prior studies suggest peer group sex composition is an important correlate of delinquency, but these studies often conflate the influence of other-sex peers with that of romantic and intimate partners. This research seeks to understand the influence of other-sex peers as separate from, but related to, romantic activity and sexual debut. I find that while sexual and romantic activity predict mixed-sex peer group (MSPG) membership, they do not fully explain the positive relationship between MSPG membership and violent delinquency. Guided by literature on gender socialization and the institutionalization of heteronormativity, I argue this result can be explained as the result of a heteronormative culture that problematizes platonic, other-sex interactions and forces adolescents to maintain other-sex friendships in non-surveilled spaces.

Social status, popularity goals and students with learning disabilities: an initial investigation

The current study examined whether students' social goals might help explain why students with learning disabilities (LD) often have lower social status in school. Participants included 336 rural and ethnically diverse high school students (of whom 16 had a LD diagnosis). Participants reported on their social status, popularity goals, and social preference goals. Findings support that students with a LD diagnosis are regularly members of less popular peer groups, but are fully socially integrated within their peer groups. Findings also note that students with and without a LD diagnosis generally had similar social preference and popularity goals. Thus, the popularity of students with a LD diagnosis is unlikely due to psychological desires for popularity, but more likely to be due to other social experiences.

The Effects of Drugs on Behavior Maintained by Social Contact: Role of Monoamines in Social Reinforcement.

Drug use is highly concordant among members of adolescent and young adult peer groups. One potential explanation for this observation is that drugs may increase the reinforcing effects of social contact, leading to greater motivation to establish and maintain contact with other members of the peer group. Several classes of drugs, particularly drugs that increase synaptic dopamine, increase the reinforcing effects of contextual stimuli, but the extent to which these drugs enhance the reinforcing effects of social contact is not known. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which drugs that increase synaptic dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin enhance the positive reinforcing effects of social contact. To this end, male and female Long-Evans rats were pretreated with acute doses of the selective dopamine reuptake inhibitor, WIN-35,428, the selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, atomoxetine, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, the non-selective monoamine reuptake inhibitor, cocaine, and the non-selective monoamine releasers d-amphetamine and (±)-MDMA. Ten minutes later, the positive reinforcing effects of 30-s access to a same-sex social partner was examined on a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. To determine whether the reinforcement-altering effects of these drugs were specific to the social stimulus, the reinforcing effects of a non-social stimulus (30-s access to an athletic sock of similar size and coloring as another rat) was determined in control subjects. WIN-35,428, d-amphetamine, and cocaine, but not atomoxetine, fluoxetine, or MDMA, dose-dependently increased breakpoints maintained by a social partner under conditions in which responding maintained by a non-social stimulus was not affected. These data indicate that increases in extracellular dopamine, but not extracellular norepinephrine or serotonin, increases the positive reinforcing effects of social contact in both male and female rats. These data also provide support for the hypothesis that some drugs with high abuse liability increase the motivation to establish and maintain contact with social peers.

GENDER VIOLENCE PREVENTION AS LEADERSHIP EDUCATION: Feminist-Inspired Bystander Training for College Student Leaders

This exploratory study examined the leadership education potential of sexual assault prevention training via a prevention approach that expressly constructs bystander education as a leadership issue. Evaluation of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program offers a practical application of a leadership education approach through a feminist lens, a framework recently advocated by Iverson, McKenzie, and Halman (2019) to better prepare student leaders for active engagement with the central social issues of their time. After undergoing one-day MVP leadership trainings, student leaders (n = 239) evidenced positive gains in such areas as leadership readiness in gender violence prevention, confidence as bystanders, and a willingness to help others. Results also suggest that participants’ prior knowledge, leadership background, and peer group membership shaped their engagement with the program. As a feminist method, MVP worked well for both women and men and across students’ varying racial/ethnic identities, but differences by peer group reveal areas in which additional research and intervention programming may be needed.

Social Interaction With Relapsed Partner Facilitates Cocaine Relapse in Rats.

Social factors strongly contribute to drug use and relapse, and epidemiological studies have found that members of peer groups influence each other to use drugs. However, previous animal models mostly failed to incorporate social factors and demonstrate the effects of social partners on drug addiction and relapse. In the present study, we investigated the transfer of relapse to cocaine seeking between drug-addicted partners in rats. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were pair-housed and subjected to training and extinction of cocaine self-administration and conditioned place preference (CPP). 24 h after extinction test, the targeted rats interacted with a cocaine-primed (relapsed) partner or stranger, or saline-injected (unrelapsed) partner for 30 min, after which the targeted rats were tested for drug seeking behavior. We found that social interaction with a relapsed partner increased drug seeking behavior in cocaine self-administration and CPP models in rats, while social interaction with an unrelapsed partner or relapsed stranger had no effect on cocaine seeking. Moreover, the effect of social interaction on cocaine seeking could last for at least 1 day. Our findings demonstrate a facilitation effect of relapsed social partners on drug relapse in rats and provide a novel animal model for social transfer of drug relapse.

The intersection of social networks and individual identity in adolescent problem behavior: Pathways and ethnic differences

ABSTRACT We provide a conceptual framework for considering how an individual’s identity is influenced by social groups and an empirical exploration of how identity is related to cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use. We report findings on e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking from studies of adolescents and young adults. Mediation analyses focused on (a) pathways from specific peer crowd membership to tobacco product use, and (b) self-esteem as a pathway for the inverse relationship between ethnic identity and tobacco product use. Overall, the results supported these pathways similarly for combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes, with some differences in pathways for Asian Americans, Whites, Filipinos, and Native Hawaiians. We conclude that both specific peer group membership and general ethnic identity are important factors for understanding identity process and suggest directions for how identity concepts can help guide future research on the new generation of tobacco products.

Assessing Violence Risk in Adolescents in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Systematic Review and Clinical Guidance.

IntroductionViolence risk assessment is one of the most frequent reasons for child and adolescent psychiatry consultation with adolescents in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Here we provide a systematic review of risk factors for violence in adolescents using the risk factor categories from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment study. Further, we provide clinical guidance for assessing adolescent violence risk in the pediatric ED.MethodsFor this systematic review, we used the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) 2009 checklist. We searched PubMed and PsycINFO databases (1966–July 1, 2020) for studies that reported risk factors for violence in adolescents.ResultsRisk factors for adolescent violence can be organized by MacArthur risk factor categories. Personal characteristics include male gender, younger age, no religious affiliation, lower IQ, and Black, Hispanic, or multiracial race. Historical characteristics include a younger age at first offense, higher number of previous criminal offenses, criminal history in one parent, physical abuse, experiencing poor child-rearing, and low parental education level. Among contextual characteristics, high peer delinquency or violent peer-group membership, low grade point average and poor academic performance, low connectedness to school, truancy, and school failure, along with victimization, are risk factors. Also, firearm access is a risk factor for violence in children and adolescents. Clinical characteristics include substance use, depressive mood, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, antisocial traits, callous/unemotional traits, grandiosity, and justification of violence.ConclusionUsing MacArthur risk factor categories as organizing principles, this systematic review recommends the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) risk- assessment tool for assessing adolescent violence risk in the pediatric ED.

Does peer group membership relate to sociodramatic play engagement? A social ethological approach.

Engagement in sociodramatic play has been shown to positively impact young children's learning and development. By definition, this type of social play occurs in groups; however, research to date has primarily sought to understand sociodramatic play engagement by focusing on individual factors. Little work has considered the role of the peer group in sociodramatic play engagement. This concurrent correlational study investigated relations between types of peer group membership and the amount of children's sociodramatic play engagement, using hierarchical cluster analyses, chi-square tests and multiple regression to analyse naturalistic data of preschoolers' free play. Findings suggest that membership in a highly cohesive peer subgroup may be important for sociodramatic play engagement. This study illustrates how social ethological perspectives can be useful for understanding social play in early childhood.

Climate crisis and flying: social media analysis traces the rise of “flightshame”

Even before the global halt to extensive mobility due to the coronavirus crisis, there has been growing resistance amongst some groups to flying. Reflecting increasing concern about the imminent climate emergency, the phenomenon of feeling ashamed of flying and expressing related emotions through communication has resulted in the neologism “flygskam”. Drawing on 14,212 Twitter posts that contained “flygskam” and a further 1037 using the English “flightshame”, this research examined the spatial-temporal spread of these words from Sweden starting in 2016 to the rest of the world indicating a global phenomenon. The findings indicate that national context continues to be important in understanding the nexus of individual and social sensemaking and processing of new information. They also demonstrate, however, that global networks (facilitated through social media) might challenge the needs of physical mobility as requirements to connect, exchange views, and create identity through peer group membership. Further analysis of the content revealed key perspectives and topics, providing insight into the relatively homogeneous discussions amongst a network community. Only 6% of posts rejected the notion, whilst the majority indicated support and advanced suggestions for more sustainable alternatives. It might be too early to say whether language behaviour expressed in online communication translates into real behaviour, but the current pandemic may well provide further impetus to no-fly movements by way of a strategic alliance between different peer groups.

Relational aggression and youth empowerment within a high school instrumental music program

Peer group effects of relational victimization and empowerment among high school instrumental music students were examined using a cross-sectional design. We evaluated the homophily hypothesis that states peer group membership influences individual-level relational aggression and feelings of empowerment. Peer groups were identified using social network analysis, suggesting that participation in marching band significantly impacts feelings of empowerment reducing self-reported relational victimization, even after controlling for gender, caring behaviors, and positive attitudes toward bullying. The impact of peer group membership suggests that future studies consider peer relations across whole school populations and subtypes of aggression.

Does it matter if those who matter don't mind? Effects of gang versus delinquent peer group membership on labeling processes.

Despite renewed interests in the labeling perspective and the impact of official intervention on individuals' future outcomes, scant attention has been given to potential conditioning factors for theorized labeling processes. We argue that, when viewed through a symbolic interactionist lens, variations in the nature of primary social groups, through which individuals filter official labels like arrest, may generate patterns for subsequent self-concept and delinquency that are contrary to what labeling theory indicates. To test our rationale, we offer a moderated mediation model in which gang membership is expected to differentially impact the effect of arrest on future delinquency through an intermediary mechanism: self-esteem. We test a gang-nongang dichotomy and then probe further to test whether hypothesized effects are gang specific or occur similarly for nongang youths with highly delinquent peer groups. Analyzed using Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS) data (N = 961), comparisons between gang members and nonaffiliated youths with similarly highly delinquent peer groups revealed no significant differences in conditional indirect effects of arrest on self-esteem and future delinquency; the two groups were similarly insulated from any negative impact of arrest on self-esteem. For nongang youths with fewer delinquent peers, however, arrest significantly reduced later self-esteem, which in turn increased their future delinquency.

Integrating professionals in French multi-professional health homes: Fostering collaboration beyond the walls.

Current evidence of the effectiveness of multi-disciplinary co-location for healthcare integration is mixed. This case study investigates a territorial healthcare project that is implemented across four French rural healthcare practices that co-locate multi-disciplinary healthcare practitioners. Two levels of collaboration were identified: (i) local, intra-team collaboration (i.e., care and prevention) and (ii) territorial, inter-team collaboration (i.e., patient therapeutic education and knowledge sharing). An analysis of 50 interviews with healthcare professionals uncovers important aspects of successful multi-disciplinary collaboration, which is an intermediary between co-location and care integration. By highlighting the social dimension of care integration, with a specific focus on the professional component of interpersonal integration, this study expands the theory of care integration by identifying three antecedents of multi-disciplinary collaboration: (i) prior general practitioner joint-practice experience, (ii) professional impetus (i.e., initiated by practitioners) and (iii) general practitioner peer group membership. Successful multi-disciplinary co-location and, in turn, collaboration offer a range of benefits to both patients and practitioners and advance progress towards promising perspectives, such as local competence transfer and territorial contagion.

Social Risk Factors of Institutionalized Juvenile Offenders: A Systematic Review

While researchers have investigated the various characteristics of juvenile offenders and the influence of risk factors for delinquency, to date, no such comprehensive review exists to present social risk factors for institutionalized juvenile offenders within and across the social domains of school and community, family, and peers. A systematic research review from 1979 through 2018 yielded 51 studies concerning institutionalized juvenile offenders’ social risk factors that relate to school policies and community disadvantage, parenting and family involvement, and peer influences and group membership. Twelve studies included two social risk factor domains and no studies included all three domains. With the likelihood of juvenile offending and subsequent institutionalization increasing as the number of risk factors and risk factor domains increase, future research should examine the independent effects of a multifaceted intervention aimed to mitigate multidomain risk associated with juvenile offending. As effective interventions for juvenile offenders should target multiple social domains, guidance for interventions that reflect the interrelatedness of risk factors to most efficiently and effectively serve youth in the various environments in which youth engage in and the people with whom youth regularly interact are discussed.

The influence of group values and behavior on adolescent male perceptions of and use of homophobic language

IntroductionThe pervasive and derogatory use of homophobic language is a threat to safe, respectful, and inclusive school environments. Group membership has been shown to influence how students use homophobic language. Previous qualitative studies have largely approached the use of this language from the theoretical framework of hegemonic masculinity. In contrast, the current study actively challenged all assumptions about the use of this language. MethodThis study was conducted in a public high school located in a rural conservative Christian community in the Intermountain West (USA). Using hermeneutic qualitative methodology to assess individual perceptions of homophobic language, 20 randomly selected 12th-grade male students (17–18 years of age) were individually interviewed. ResultsThree distinct groups emerged during our interviews: students on the debate team, students who strongly identified with a conservative religion, and students on popular athletic teams. Membership in specific peer groups influenced how students participated in or abstained from using homophobic language. Contrary to the prevailing research that pairs religiosity with negatively biased attitudes toward LGBTQIA, in this study, participants' religious beliefs appeared to be associated with respecting others' feelings and a decreased likelihood of using homophobic language. ConclusionsAfter summarizing this study's findings, we conclude with implications for practice. To more effectively deter the use of homophobic language, we encourage school-based interventions that target specific groups of adolescents and consider the social context in which homophobic language occurs.

Influence of Peer Pressure and Self-Efficacy for Alcohol Self-Regulation on Chinese University Physical Education Students’ Drinking Behaviors

This study examined peer group influence on university student drinking in China and the indirect effects of peer pressure and self-efficacy for alcohol self-regulation. A total of 951 undergraduate university students (first, second and third year) from a university in central China completed questionnaires asking about perceived peer pressures, self-efficacy for alcohol self-regulation, and drinking frequency. Analysis of their answers showed that the drinking frequency among physical education (PE) students was higher than among the comparison group (History students). The PE students perceived greater peer pressure, and had lower self-efficacy for alcohol self-regulation, both of which contributed directly to drinking frequency. Path analysis indicated indirect effects of peer pressure and self-efficacy for alcohol self-regulation on the association between peer group membership and drinking frequency. This suggested that skills training to increase self-efficacy for alcohol self-regulation in culturally-specific settings have the potential to both directly and indirectly lower drinking rates in peer groups with high peer pressure and higher than normal drinking.

I and Us: A Longitudinal Study on the Interplay of Personal and Social Identity in Adolescence.

The development of personal and social identity is crucial in adolescence. On the one hand, adolescents face the task of forming and consolidating their personal identity in multiple domains, with educational and interpersonal domains particularly salient. On the other hand, they enlarge their social horizon and increasingly define themselves as members of multiple peer groups, such as groups of classmates and friends met outside school. There is however a lack of integrative research on the interplay among and between personal and social identity processes. Hence the purpose of this study was threefold. First, we examined how personal identity processes in the educational and interpersonal domains are associated longitudinally. Second, we investigated to what extent social identifications with classmates and with the group of friends are associated over time. Third, with an original approach we examined the longitudinal interplay between personal and social identity processes, to connect theoretical contributions that have so far proceeded largely in parallel. Participants were 304 adolescents (61.84% female, M age = 17.49) involved in a three-wave longitudinal study. We found that (a) the ways in which adolescents develop their identity in the educational and interpersonal domains become more closely intertwined over time; (b) identifications with classmates and with the group of friends are interconnected; and (c) personal and social identity processes are associated both concurrently and longitudinally, with most cross-lagged effects showing that social identifications influence personal identity formation and consolidation in the interpersonal identity domain. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Identifying Peer Effects Using Gold Rushers

Fishers pay attention to where other fishers are fishing, suggesting the potential for peer effects. But peer effects are difficult to identify without an exogenous shifter of peer group membership. We propose an identification strategy that exploits a shifter of peer group membership: gold rushes of new entrants. Following an exchange-rate-induced gold rush in an American fishery, we find that new entrants are strongly influenced by the location choices of their peers. Overidentification tests suggest that the assumptions underlying identification hold when new entrants are inexperienced, but identification is lost as new entrants start to potentially influence their peers. <i>(JEL D83, Q22)</i>

جماعات الأقران والعنف بین الطلاب : دراسة میدانیة لعینة من الطلاب بمدرسة النیل الثانویة ببنی سویف

تهدف هذه الدراسة بوجه عام إلى التعرف على بناء جماعات الأقران ووظائفها داخل المدرسة وخارجها، ومدى تأثير هذه الجماعات على مشکلة العنف بين الطلاب. وقد اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج التجريبي حيث تم تکوين جماعتين من الطلاب احداهما تمثل المجموعة التجريبة، والاخرى تمثل المجموعة الضابطة. وکان عدد کا منهما (80) طالب من طلاب الصف الثالث الأدبي بمدرسة النيل الثانوية بنين. وقد روعى ان تکون المجموعتين متماثلتين فى جميع الخصائص مثل السن والتخصص ونمط الموطن الاصلى والسنة الدراسية، ويختلفان فقط فى المتغير التجريبي وهو الانتماء الى جماعات الاقران. وقد اعتمدت الدراسة على استمارة المقابلة کآداه لجمع البيانات. ويرى الباحث أنه يمکن صياغة ستة فروض رئيسية لهذه الدراسة على النحو التالي: 1- کلما زادت درجة الاتصال بين أعضاء جماعات الأقران کلما قل ظهور مشکلة العنف الطلابي. 2- کما زادت درجة الاتفاق بين أهداف جماعة الأقران والأهداف المدرسية، خفت حدة مشکلة العنف الطلابي . 3- يؤدي الانتماء إلى جماعات الأقران إلى التخفيف من حدة مشکلة العنف بين الطلاب. 4- هناک علاقة بين نوع المعايير الاجتماعية السائدة في جماعات الأقران وبين ظهور مشکلة العنف بين الطلاب. 1- تميل جماعة الأقران إلى توحيد سلوک أعضائها، کما تعد جماعة الأقران من بين الجماعات المرجعية التي يرجع إليها الطلاب في تقييم سلوکهم. 2- تزداد الأهمية النسبية لجماعات الأقران - بالنسبة لمشکلة العنف - بالنسبة لغيرها من مؤسسات التنشئة الاجتماعية الأخرى. Abstract: Peer groups and violence among students A field study of a sample of students a school Nile Secondary School For in Beni Suef This study aims in general to identify the building and functions peer groups inside and outside the school, and the impact of these groups on the problem of violence among students. The study was based on the experimental method is configured as two groups of students, one trial is representing the group, and the other representing the control group. A number of them Ka (80) students from Asif third literary school students Nile Secondary School For Boys. It has been taken to be two groups identical in all characteristics such as age and specialization and style of the original home and the school year, and differ only in the experimental variable, which belong to peer groups. The study was based on the interview form as a tool for data collection. The researcher believes that it can be formulated six main hypotheses of this study are as follows: 1. The greater the degree of contact between members of peer groups, the less the emergence of the problem of student violence. 2. The greater the degree of agreement between the objectives of the peer group and school goals, eased the problem of student violence. 3. affiliation leads to peer groups to alleviate the problem of violence among students. 4. There is a relationship between prevailing in peer groups and social norms kind between the emergence of the problem of violence among students. 5. peer group tend to unify the behavior of its members, and is a peer group from among the reference groups, which is due to students in evaluating their behavior. 6. increasing the relative importance of peer groups - to the problem of violence - for other socializing institutions.