Experiences Of Peer Relationships Research Articles

Peer relationships and study wellbeing: upper secondary students’ experiences

AbstractThe role of peer relationships in a student’s study wellbeing has been emphasised in research. However, the development of functional relationships with peers in educational settings cannot be taken for granted. In this study, we aimed to understand the variations in upper secondary school students’ experiences of peer relationships in terms of sense of relatedness, cognitive and affective empathy skills and peer support for studying, and whether variation in these regards are related to study wellbeing. Two hundred and eighty Finnish upper secondary education students participated in the study. The data were analysed using latent profile analysis (LPA). Three distinct peer relationship profiles were detected among the students. Most of the students belonged to the functional peer relationship profile, while a minority belonged to either isolated or emotionally unrelated profiles. The students in the latter two profiles had a higher risk of experiencing challenges in study wellbeing in terms of reduced levels of study engagement and higher levels of study burnout symptoms. The findings imply that students in upper secondary education might need different kinds of support in building functional peer relationships. For example, some of them might benefit from learning empathy skills, while others might need support to meet their need for a sense of relatedness among peers.

The influence of social exclusion on adolescents' social withdrawal behavior: The moderating role of connectedness to nature

If individuals do not have good peer social relationships, they will not only fail to benefit from social groups, but will have more solitary behaviors due to being excluded and rejected. And the withdrawal of choosing to be alone will induce further social exclusion. However, previous studies on social exclusion and social withdrawal have focused on children, college students, and adults, and few studies have explored adolescents as subjects. There is evidence that problematic peer relationship experiences (e.g., rejection, exclusion) are indeed a cause and consequence of social withdrawal in adolescents, and fortunately, interventions that connect people to nature may lead to many positive changes in multiple domains of functioning, such as indirect exposure to the natural environment can moderate the negative effects of an individual's exclusion. Therefore, to test the causal relationship between social exclusion and adolescent social withdrawal behavior and the effect of natural associations on adolescent social withdrawal behavior, we found through three studies that social exclusion significantly affected adolescent social withdrawal behavior, connectedness of nature, i.e., simply viewing nature pictures, significantly diminishes the effect of social exclusion on adolescents' social withdrawal behavior. Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of natural associations in influencing social withdrawal after exclusion.

“Look at them! They all have friends and not me”: the role of peer relationships in schooling from the perspective of primary children designated as “lower-attaining”

ABSTRACT This paper explores the peer relationship experiences of 23 primary-school children who had been designated as “lower-attaining”. It is written against the backdrop of the mental health crisis among young people in Britain. Using John Macmurray’s principles of equality and freedom as underpinning positive personal relationships, it investigates how “lower-attaining” children experience their peer relationships in a climate where attainment in mathematics and English is politically prioritised over the nurturing of positive relationships. We drew on the recent literature pertaining to peer relationships in general; and peer relationships among “lower-attainers” in particular. We build on the assumption that positive personal relationships support creative learning and high attainment. Using 107 extended individual and paired/triad activity-interviews as well as lesson observations every term over six school terms, we carried out research in four sample primary-schools. Our findings illustrated the high value put on friendships by sample children, despite a strong emphasis in schooling on individual competition. The children described instances of feeling troubled by their relationships; and their “low-attainment” status appeared to be linked to some, if not many, of their troubles. They sometimes felt excluded from the main body of their classes due to emphasis on high-attainment. We conclude by proposing a greater emphasis on collaboration and the nurturing of relationships in schooling, which in turn could support these children’s creative learning and attainment.

Domestic Violence Exposure and Peer Relationships: Exploring the Role of Coercive Control Exposure

Coercive control—a relational dynamic rooted in one romantic partner’s intentional domination and control over their partner’s daily life using physical violence and nonphysical abuse tactics—has been well-documented in the adult domestic violence (DV) literature for decades. Yet, only recently has coercive control been assessed in the context of DV exposure and few studies have examined exposure to coercive control from the perspective of young adult children. It has been theorized that the inclusion of coercive control may explain inconsistent findings regarding the impact of DV exposure on adjustment domains, particularly peer relationships. Thus, the present study, using an exploratory and formative perspective, examined the relationship between DV exposure and peer relationship experiences (e.g., bullying victimization and perpetration, friendship quality) among a sample of DV-exposed young adults. Data for this study comes from phase two of the Young Adult Live and Learn (Y’ALL) Project. The sample (72.1% female; 74.1% European American) included young adults who were exposed to DV (n = 99) and young adults who were not exposed to DV (n = 48). Exposure to coercive control, controlling for physical violence exposure, was associated with higher levels of bullying victimization and better friendship quality, whereas exposure to more frequent physical violence was associated with higher levels of bullying perpetration. Findings from the present study add to the growing body of literature demonstrating the salience of measuring coercive control when studying youth DV exposure, as coercive control may better explain outcomes, such as peer relationship experiences, above and beyond assessments of physical violence exposure alone.

Parental Support, Psychological Control, and Early Adolescents' Relationships with Friends and Dating Partners

Interdependence and social exchange theories were used to explore parent–adolescent relationship quality and early adolescents' relationships with close friends and dating partners. Associations among adolescents' perceptions of parental support and psychological control, peer relationship experiences (communication, emotional support, and possessiveness), and peer relationship satisfaction were examined using a test‐replication design. Our largely African American and female samples ranged from age 11 to 15. Results indicated the parenting variables were directly related to peer relationship experiences, which, in turn, predicted relationship satisfaction. The association between parental support and relationship satisfaction was mediated by peer communication and emotional support. Limited moderation by gender and relationship type was found. Parental psychological control mattered more for female and parental support more for male adolescents' close peer relationships. Dating partner possessiveness was most detrimental for females' relationship satisfaction, whereas communication influenced relationship satisfaction most for females reporting on friends and males reporting on dating partners.

How Peers Make a Difference: The Role of Peer Groups and Peer Relationships in Personality Development

Peers are a pervasive aspect of people's lives, but their role in personality development has rarely been considered. This is surprising, given that peers are promising candidates to explain personality development over the entire lifespan. Owing to the lack of clear–cut definitions of peers, we first elaborate on their defining criteria and functions in different life phases. We then discuss the role of peers in personality development across the lifespan. We advocate that an integration of social group perspectives and social relationship perspectives is essential to understand peer effects on personality development. Group socialization theory is particularly suited to explain developmental differences between groups as a result of group norms. However, it is blind towards differences in development within peer groups. In contrast, the PERSOC framework is particularly suited to explain individual differences in development within groups as a result of specific dyadic peer–relationship experiences. We propose that a conjunct consideration of peer–group effects and dyadic peer–relationship effects can advance the general understanding of personality development. We discuss examples for a cross–fertilization of the two frameworks that suggest avenues for future research. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Personality Psychology

The Interplay Between Peer Rejection and Acceptance in Preadolescence and Early Adolescence, Serotonin Transporter Gene, and Antisocial Behavior in Late Adolescence: The TRAILS Study

Gene–environment studies on adolescents’ peer contexts are important for understanding the interplay between biological and social antecedents of adolescent psychopathology. To this end, this study examined the roles of serotonin transporter ( 5-HTTLPR ) and preadolescent and early adolescent peer rejection and acceptance, as well as the interaction between genotype and environment as predictors of antisocial behavior. Longitudinal data from TRAILS (TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey), a Dutch cohort study into adolescent development that includes peer reports of rejection and acceptance assessed at 11.1 and 13.6 years and self-reported antisocial behavior at 19.1 years was used. The interaction between 5-HTTLPR and preadolescent peer rejection predicted antisocial behavior with carriers of the 5-HTTLPR short–short variant most strongly affected. No main or interaction effects were found for early adolescent rejection or interactions involving peer acceptance. Our results extend the gene–environment interaction literature by focusing on peer relationship experiences.

중도입국 이주아동의 또래관계에 관한 이론적 고찰

중도입국 이주아동의 또래관계에 관한 이론적 고찰

Longing to belong: children in residential care and their experiences of peer relationships at school and in the children's home

AbstractResilience literature has stressed the potential of both children's educational experiences and their friendships to act as protective factors against adversity. However, less is known about how children living with adversity navigate these ‘everyday’ aspects of social terrain and the particular challenges that they face. This paper explores the meaning and experience of peer relationships to one group of children living in residential care in Ireland. Drawing on a larger study of school and care, it explores data gathered from 16 children, aged 8 to 18, who were living in eight different children's homes on the east coast of Ireland. The findings suggest that the children were acutely aware of their ‘care’ status and developed a number of strategies to manage this identity in school. It appears that more often than not, children described being left to their own devises to manage friendships and peer relationships. Thus, despite being a crucial source of both stress and support, peer relationships did not appear to be regarded as an issue that adults should be involved with. This raises questions for practice about what children should be supported with and the way in which peer relationships are potentially overlooked by social work, residential and school staff.

Recalled peer relationship experiences and current levels of self‐criticism and self‐reassurance

Numerous studies have shown that personality factors may increase or decrease individuals' vulnerability to depression, but little research has examined the role of peer relationships in the development of these factors. Accordingly, this study examined the role of recalled parenting and peer experiences in the development of self-criticism and self-reassurance. It was hypothesized that, controlling for recalled parenting behaviours, specific recalled experiences of peer relationships would be related to current levels of specific forms of self-criticism and self-reassurance. Hypotheses were tested using a retrospective design in which participants were asked to recall experiences of parenting and peer relationships during early adolescence. This age was chosen as early adolescence has been shown to be a critical time for the development of vulnerability to depression. A total of 103 female and 97 male young adults completed measures of recalled parenting, overt and relational victimization and prosocial behaviour by peers, and current levels of self-criticism and self-reassurance. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that parents and peers independently contributed to the development of self-criticism and self-reassurance. Specifically, controlling for parental care and control, overt victimization predicted self-hating self-criticism, relational victimization predicted inadequacy self-criticism, and prosocial behaviour predicted self-reassurance. As well, prosocial behaviour buffered the effect of overt victimization on self-reassurance. Findings highlight the importance of peers in the development of personality risk and resiliency factors for depression, and suggest avenues for interventions to prevent the development of depressive vulnerabilities in youth. The nature of a patient's personality vulnerability to depression may be better understood through a consideration of the patient's relationships with their peers as well as with parents during adolescence. An understanding of adult patients' past peer relationships may further the therapist's understanding of the client's core schemas and dysfunctional attitudes, as well as potential transference reactions during therapy. Identifying and helping youth to better cope with peer victimization may help prevent the development of a vulnerable personality style in adulthood. Fostering positive peer relationships in adolescence may buffer the effects of other more negative relationships with peers.

Social contextual links to emotion regulation in an adolescent psychiatric inpatient population: do gender and symptomatology matter?

The regulation of emotion is essential for adaptive functioning. However, delineating the pathways of emotion regulation (ER) processes that lead to psychological adaptation remains under-studied, with mixed evidence for the specificity vs. generality of ER deficits in relation to specific forms of psychopathology. To examine this issue, this study investigated links among ER, social-contextual factors (family, peer), and psychological adjustment (internalizing, externalizing). Participants were 140 adolescents (71% female, 83.3% Caucasian, M age = 16.03 years) who were consecutive psychiatric admissions over a one-year period. Adolescents completed measures on family environment and peer relationship experiences. Both adolescents and parents reported on adolescents' characteristic patterns of ER and psychopathology. Discriminant analyses revealed that two functions, ER skills and impulsivity/lability, differentiated among adolescents who were elevated in internalizing symptoms only, in externalizing symptoms only, in both domains, or in neither domain. Regarding social contextual variables, family cohesion was associated with adaptive ER behaviors for girls along the internalizing dimension and all adolescents reporting externalizing behaviors. Relational victimization predicted difficulties with ER in both symptom domains for all adolescents. Within the internalizing domain, friendship support was related to adaptive ER. Facets of ER do differentiate between global indices of internalizing and externalizing behaviors and suggest that both general and specific factors contribute to adolescents' unique learning history with emotions and characteristic patterns for managing emotions.

Implications of attachment theory for sport and physical activity research: conceptual links with achievement goal and peer-relationship models

This paper attempted to integrate the developmental literature on attachment theory with the achievement goal and peer-relationship literature that has been central to sport and physical activity research in recent decades. Attachment theory, achievement goal models, and sport peer-relationship frameworks are briefly reviewed and the conceptual links between the theories are explored. It is contended that attachment theory offers conceptually useful avenues of research related to the constructs of achievement goals, perceived motivational climate, and experiences of peer relationships in sport-related contexts. A brief discussion regarding potential caveats related to measurement of mental representations of attachment in social and social-cognitive research is also forwarded.

The Experience of Adolescent Women Living with Spina Bifida Part II: Peer Relationships

Relationships are much more complex for those with disabilities than for those without disabilities. This study was part of a larger mixed-method investigation that explored comprehensive aspects of adaptation in adolescents with spina bifida (SB). The purpose of this qualitative component of the study was to explore the experiences of peer relationships in 31 adolescent women with SB. The participants were interviewed, and analysis was conducted for common themes. The five major themes and one subtheme were peers without disabilities (subtheme: peers with disabilities), normalization, challenges in peer connectedness, peer connectedness with adults, and romantic connectedness. Whereas some participants voiced close connections with peers, others described prejudices, stereotyping, and limited dating experiences. Results from this study support the need for comprehensive assessment of social relationships in adolescent women with SB and active interventions to address problems identified. Rehabilitation nurses are in a key position to implement social interventions in adolescents and young women with SB.

Peer relationship antecedents of delinquent behavior in late adolescence: Is there evidence of demographic group differences in developmental processes?

A longitudinal prospective design was used to test the generalizability of low levels of social preference and high levels of antisocial peer involvement as risk factors for delinquent behavior problems to African American (AA) and European American (EA) boys and girls (N = 384). Social preference scores were computed from peer reports in middle childhood (ages 6-9). Parents and adolescents reported antisocial peer involvement in early adolescence (ages 13-16) and adolescents reported on their own delinquent behavior in late adolescence (ages 17 and 18). Analyses tested for differences across four groups (AA boys, EA boys, AA girls, EA girls) in construct measurement, mean levels, and associations among variables. Few measurement differences were found. Mean-level differences were found for social preference and delinquent behavior. AA boys were least accepted by peers and reported the highest level of delinquent behavior. EA girls were most accepted by peers and reported the lowest level of delinquent behavior. Associations among peer experiences and delinquent behavior were equivalent across groups, with lower levels of social preference and higher levels of antisocial peer involvement associated with more delinquent behavior. Person-centered analyses showed the risk associated with low social preference and high antisocial peer involvement to be similar across groups, providing further evidence of the generalizability of the peer relationship experiences as risk factors for subsequent delinquent behavior problems.

Peer and adult relationships of adolescents with disabilities

The purpose of this study was to enhance our knowledge of what it is like to grow up with a disability, specifically, with focus on how adolescents with restricted mobility perceive social roles and relationships to peers and adults. The group investigated consisted of 12 adolescents with restricted mobility from northern Sweden, aged from 15 to 19 years. The adolescents were individually interviewed. The analysis resulted in a core category ( Who am I), which describes how the adolescents perceive themselves. The core category was related to three subcategories: Relationships to friends—describes the adolescents’ experiences of peer relationships, Relationships to adults—describes adolescents’ relationships to adults, Thoughts about relationships in the future—comprises wishes for future relationships. The results indicated that the 12 disabled adolescents saw themselves as regular members of the adolescent peer group but that the members of the adolescent group saw them as being different. The relationships to friends of the same age were either markedly defective or did not exist at all, while relationships to adults were often characterized as ambivalent or asymmetric, i.e. the adults were simultaneously helpful and supportive while over protective and dominant. The study revealed that despite the many hindrances, the adolescents had a comparatively positive view of their future.

Peer rejection in childhood, involvement with antisocial peers in early adolescence, and the development of externalizing behavior problems.

A longitudinal, prospective design was used to examine the roles of peer rejection in middle childhood and antisocial peer involvement in early adolescence in the development of adolescent externalizing behavior problems. Both early starter and late starter pathways were considered. Classroom sociometric interviews from ages 6 through 9 years, adolescent reports of peers' behavior at age 13 years, and parent, teacher, and adolescent self-reports of externalizing behavior problems from age 5 through 14 years were available for 400 adolescents. Results indicate that experiencing peer rejection in elementary school and greater involvement with antisocial peers in early adolescence are correlated but that these peer relationship experiences may represent two different pathways to adolescent externalizing behavior problems. Peer rejection experiences, but not involvement with antisocial peers. predict later externalizing behavior problems when controlling for stability in externalizing behavior. Externalizing problems were most common when rejection was experienced repeatedly. Early externalizing problems did not appear to moderate the relation between peer rejection and later problem behavior. Discussion highlights multiple pathways connecting externalizing behavior problems from early childhood through adolescence with peer relationship experiences in middle childhood and early adolescence.