Positive Peer Relationships Research Articles

Relationship between parenting styles and school bullying behaviour among adolescents

In recent years, the pervasive issue of school bullying has surfaced as a focal point of concern, given its deep-seated implications on the mental and emotional well-being of adolescents. This paper seeks to unearth the complex relationship between parenting styles - classified as authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved - and the prevalence of bullying behaviours among adolescents in school environments. Through a meticulous analysis of recent empirical studies, the paper highlights the significant influence parenting styles exert on a child’s developmental trajectory, molding their attitudes, behaviours, and peer interactions. Particularly, the study underscores the role of authoritative parenting as a protective factor against bullying, fostering resilience and positive peer relations. In contrast, authoritarian and uninvolved parenting styles may potentially fuel bullying tendencies due to the absence of warmth and the establishment of rigid rules and severe punishments. The paper further identifies a notable gap in current research, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive studies that integrate cultural nuances to develop culturally sensitive intervention strategies. In aiming to pave the way for safer and more nurturing school environments, this research illuminates the potential strategies through parental interventions to mitigate the negative impacts of bullying, promoting positive child and adolescent development globally.

Teachers’ Approaches to Facilitating Positive Peer Relationships for Students with Disabilities

The development of social openness enables the educational needs of people with disabilities and their right to equal education to be progressively emphasized. More and more students with disabilities started to study in the same class as typically developed students. However, how to help them develop and maintain a positive relationship with peers can be challenging for educators since there exist certain challenges between them in becoming friends. In that case, this paper based on the environment of inclusive education briefly analyzed the benefits of inclusive education and figured out the potential challenges that children with disabilities can face when getting along with typically developed students in the inclusive classroom from both internal and external perspectives. Based on that, the core research question is to help teachers with different roles in an inclusive classroom to find ways of help students with disabilities maintain a positive relationship with other typically developed children to ensure the right of children with all situations are able to receive the same level of education, enjoy the same friendship and help them better adapt into the society in the future life. The meaning of this review is practical which provides educators with approaches to helping children with disabilities and leads to further thinking for researchers about other strategies to help them and offer them a growing-up environment as comfortable as typically developed students. Future research is expected to focus more on the development, well-being and rights of children with disabilities.

Peer relationships and interaction between students with visual impairments and their sighted peers at Sirigu Senior High School in Ghana

Peer interaction and relationships are considered key factors in the academic success of students with disabilities, and serve as measurements of inclusive practice, since children with disabilities who are accepted tend to have positive relationships and interactions. This study explored the peer relationship and interaction patterns between students with visual impairments and their sighted peers at Sirigu Senior High School in Ghana. A concurrent triangulation design was used. One hundred sighted students and two resource teachers were purposively sampled, and 20 students with visual impairments were sampled using a census technique. Interview data were coded and analyzed using the thematic approach, while the questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results from the study showed that there were no positive peer relationships between students with visual impairments and their sighted peers. The students indicated that some sighted peers were unfriendly and discriminatory. The study revealed that there were very limited interactions between the sighted and the visually impaired, and the visually impaired students expressed dissatisfaction with their participation in co‐curricular activities. The study concludes that organizing more social activities would create a friendlier environment, and that the school could promote positive peer relationships and interactions through engaging students with disabilities in more co‐curricular activities.

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.

Influence of Parenting Styles, Teacher-Child Relationships, and Peer Relationships on Children’s Grit: Latent Profile Analysis of Parenting Styles

Objectives: This study investigates how parenting styles, teacher-child relationships, and peer relationships predict fourth-grade children’s grit. First, we explored the latent profiles of parenting styles that fourth-grade children perceived. Second, we investigated how latent profiles of parenting styles, teacher-child relationships, and peer relationships affect children’s grit.Methods: We used the dataset from the first wave of KCYPS conducted in 2018, whose participants were 2,607 fourth-grade children. A latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to explore the types and patterns of parenting styles. In addition, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to verify the effects of latent profiles of parenting styles, the quality of the teacher-child relationships and peer relationships on children’s grit.Results: For the first research question, the LPA showed that the children perceived the parenting styles of their caregivers as the following three types of latent profiles: positive, negative, and lower-positive. We found that the parenting styles of the lower-positive and negative profiles may have a statistically significant effect on children’s grit level. Regarding the effects of other variables, we found that trusting teacher-child relationships and positive peer relationships can significantly predict higher grit.Conclusion: Positive parenting style, highly trusting relationships between teachers and children, and healthy peer relationships are positive predictors of higher grit scores in fourth-grade children. Positive environmental factors, including home and school contexts, significantly encourage children’s grit. Educational programs should be conducted for increasing grit based on building positive parenting styles and positive relationships with teachers and peers.

중학생이 지각한 부모양육태도와 주관적 안녕감의 관계

Objectives This study examines the relationship between parental rearing attitude, peer relationship, career attitude maturity, and subjective well-being, perceived by middle school students and verified the mediating effect of peer relationship and career attitude maturity. Methods For this purpose, from May to June 2020, 478 middle school students (229 males, 249 females) enrolled in middle schools located in Seoul were surveyed. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were performed on the collected data, and multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the mediating effects of peer relationship and career attitude maturation, and the significance of mediating effects was verified through the Sobel test. Results There was a significant correlation between parent-rearing attitude, peer relationship, career attitude maturity, and subjective well-being. Also, the positive peer relationship showed a partial mediating effect in the relationship between parents' autonomous and achievement-pressured parenting attitude and subjective well-being. Negative peer relationships showed parents' receptive, autonomous, achievement-pressured parenting attitudes and partial mediating effects. In addition, career attitude maturation showed a partial mediating effect in the relationship between parenting attitude and subjective well-being. Conclusions The results of this study indicated that In order to improve the subjective well-being of middle school students, it is interpreted as showing that parenting attitude, peer relationship, and career attitude and maturity are important variables. The implications of this results were discussed and the limitations and future directions of this study were suggested.

Psychoactive Substance Abuse among Secondary School Students in Tanzania: Exploring Perception and Understanding of Its Impact on Academic Achievement

The aim of this study was to explore perceptions and understanding of the impact of drug and psychoactive substance abuse among Secondary School students Kilolo district of Iringa Tanzania. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to identify the commonly used psychoactive drug and substances; to explore students’ perceptions on psychoactive substance use; to examine students’ knowledge of the impact of psychoactive substance abuse on academic achievement; and to explore the strategies used in preventing use of drugs and substance abuse at Secondary School level. The study was guided by the Self-Medication Theory of Addiction. The theory that provides a valuable investigative and clinical paradigm to address the challenging issue of drug addiction. The study used a quantitative approach with a cross-section descriptive design. Employing simple random sampling, a total sample of 400 respondents were drawn from five secondary schools of Kilolo district. The data were obtained through questionnaire-based survey. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics with the aid of IBM SPSS Statistics version 20. The findings revealed that the commonly used psychoactive substances by secondary school students were alcohol, marijuana, snuff, and cigarettes. The students had the knowledge of drugs and substance abuse and perceive that they are not good for their academics and health. The study further unveiled that some students used the substances sparingly and while others used them on a daily basis. The findings showed that students had knowledge of the impact of psychoactive substance abuse on academic achievement. The findings also revealed that mechanism are in place at the school level to prevent drugs and psychoactive substance abuse. In view of the findings of this study it is recommended that families should be involved in the fight against use of drugs and psychoactive substances and provide counsel for the students. Schools should strive at encouraging positive peer relationships and networks among students who do not use psychoactive substances.

Recommendations for a ‘Wellbeing Curriculum’ to Mitigate Undergraduate Psychological Distress Associated with Lack of Careers Confidence and Poor University Engagement

To foster a ‘wellbeing curriculum’ in a climate with an increasingly competitive graduate jobs market, we believe it is critical to support undergraduate career development and to develop positive peer and educator relationships, particularly for non-vocational degree programs. However, these relationships between undergraduate wellbeing and their career development or peer/educator relationships have not been specifically examined. This study used a mixed methods approach to examine if poor career development or university engagement (quality of relationships with peers or educators, use of the university careers and counselling services, time studying) were associated with psychological distress for students in non-vocational degree programs. Undergraduates (biomedical science; n=1100) from five Australian universities participated in a survey to investigate relationships between psychological distress, as determined by their responses to the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales, and their career development or university engagement. Almost half of the students lacked confidence in their ‘future employment and job prospects’. Students’ psychological distress was significantly correlated with lack of confidence with their career development, poor relationships with their peers and educators and little use of the counselling service. Further exploration of these factors in student focus groups highlighted stress associated with academic competition between students and a critical need for undergraduate career development, especially industry placements. We provide pivotal recommendations to promote undergraduate and educator wellbeing, by developing a ‘wellbeing curriculum’ that supports career development and positive relationships between students and their peers and educators, particularly vital for non-vocational degrees.

Central concepts in mental health promotion programs for children and adolescents: Evidence and examples from Switzerland

Abstract Universal mental health promotion programs draw on a wide range of concepts to promote children's and adolescents’ mental health. This presentation aims to provide an overview of the central concepts from health, developmental and social psychology, psychiatry, and public health/health promotion and to illustrate their application using examples from Swiss mental health promotion programs for children and adolescents. Concepts on internal, biological, psychological and psychosocial factors such as the ten life skills that are recommended by the WHO, self-efficacy, (mental) health literacy, and the resilience literature are looked at as well as concepts on external risk and protective factors such as social support (quality of attachment and relationships, positive family climate and peer relations) and the quality of educational institutions. Evidence on their effectiveness is reported and conceptual similarities and differences as well as the underlying mechanisms of action are explored from a health behavior change perspective using the behavior change wheel. Finally, implications for the design and implementation of mental health promotion programs are discussed

Relationships among peer- relatedness, self-confidence, peer victimization, social anxiety and school satisfaction in American high school students

ABSTRACT Background Poor peer relationships and peer victimization can enhance anxiety and diminish adolescents’ school experiences, whereas positive peer relationships and self-confidence can enhance school satisfaction. These experiences may be particularly relevant in physical education (PE) settings; yet, little is known about the roles that peers in PE play in students’ adjustment (e.g. self-confidence, anxiety, school satisfaction). Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine whether and to what extent (1) student perceived peer-relatedness support, and frequency of peer victimization (i.e. witnessing, victimization, and perpetration) explain social anxiety in PE, and (2) student perceived peer-relatedness support, and self-confidence in PE explain student perception of school satisfaction. Design This is a descriptive-analytic study utilizing multi-stage random sampling methods for recruitment. Participants included American high school students (N = 224; grades 9–12; female = 53.2% male = 36.8%) aged 14–18 years (M age = 15.25, SD = 0.97) who completed an electronic survey containing five total instruments to measure peer-relatedness support, frequency of peer victimization, social anxiety in PE, self-confidence in PE, and perception of school satisfaction. Results Results from hierarchical multiple regression revealed that peer-relatedness in PE was important regarding social anxiety experienced in PE (β = −.24; p = −0.29) explaining 7.3% of the variance, and even contributed towards overall school satisfaction (β = 0.26; p = 0.34) explaining 11.1% of the variance. Higher levels of peer-relatedness were associated with lower levels of social anxiety and higher levels of school satisfaction. Further, self-confidence in PE was positively associated with overall school satisfaction (β = 0.18; p = 0.30) explaining 1.9% of the variance. Students’ victimization experience in PE, whether as a perpetrator, victim, or witness, was not significantly related to social anxiety (β = 0.07, p = 0.14; β = −0.90, p = −0.16; β = −0.10 p = 0.06, respectively). Conclusion Students experiencing positive peer-relatedness and self-confidence in PE tend to be more satisfied with school and less socially anxious in PE. However, predictor variables only explained a small percentage of variance in the outcomes of interest, particularly for social anxiety, suggesting that additional research is needed to elucidate additional factors associated with school satisfaction and social anxiety given their key role in students’ overall adjustment. Nonetheless, this study suggests that the peer context within PE classrooms should be considered in future research and teachers’ classroom practices.

Dimensions of Belonging and “Othering” in Middle School: Voices of Immigrant and Island-Born Puerto Rican Adolescents

Sense of school belonging has been shown to contribute to a range of academic and psychosocial outcomes, especially among adolescents, and may have particular salience for immigrant students of color, due to their ethnic-racial positionality and frequent marginalization in school. In this study, we examined the ways that immigrant and island-born Puerto Rican students (mean age = 13) with varying years of living in the mainland U.S. felt a sense of belonging in middle school, as well as the factors that undermined this. Based on individual, semi-structured interviews, our qualitative analyses revealed that being seen as competent, contributing members of the school community, as well as positive peer relations, facilitated sense of belonging. Perceptions of equality, where “every person matters equally,” also felt inclusive to students. However, lack of English language fluency as a source of bullying, ethnic-racial stereotypes, and perceived racialized treatment from both teachers and peers were powerful sources of “othering” for students, detracting from their feelings of acceptance. We discuss several key areas in which teachers and school counselors can engage in the practice of sensitive care for immigrant students as they seek to find their place in school, based on our findings.

Pattern of substance use and substance use disorder in adolescent learners at public secondary schools in Gaborone, Botswana.

IntroductionSubstance use amongst adolescents remains a global public health challenge. The potential negative health outcomes of substance use suggest the need to understand the pattern of use and the associated factors among adolescents. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of substance use, SUDs, and PD and the associated factors in adolescent learners at public schools in Gaborone, Botswana.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at 13 public secondary schools in Gaborone among 742 students. Assessment tools included the World Health Organization drug questionnaire, DSM-5 interview for SUD, and the General Health Questionnaire-12.ResultsThe mean age (SD) of the participants was 15.26 (1.57) years, and there were more females (55.5%). Over two-fifths (44.6%) of learners reported psychoactive substance use in the past 12 months, and 31.5% meeting DSM 5 criteria for a SUD. Alcohol was the most used psychoactive substance (25.1%). Male gender (AOR = 1.94; 95% CI: 1.26–2.995), having a friend (AOR = 4.27; 95% CI: 2.68–6.78), or father (AOR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.14–3.04), who uses substance, and higher levels of PD (AOR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.03–1.17) remained significantly associated with SUD. Regular participation in religious activities negatively correlated with SUD (AOR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.38–0.96).ConclusionThe high prevalence of substance use and SUDs among in-school adolescents is concerning. Substance use programs need to include family-focused and religious-based therapy and youth empowerment in developing positive peer relationships. Also, they should be integrated with mental health screening to assess comorbid PD.

The future is present in the past: A meta-analysis on the longitudinal associations of parent-adolescent relationships with peer and romantic relationships.

Positive peer and romantic relationships are crucial for adolescents' positive adjustment and relationships with parents lay the foundation for these relationships. This longitudinal meta-analysis examined how parent-adolescent relationships continue into later peer and romantic relationships. Included longitudinal studies (k=54 involving peer relationships, k=38 involving romantic relationships) contained demographically diverse samples from predominantly Western cultural contexts. Multilevel meta-regressions indicated that supportive and negative parent-adolescent relationships were associated with supportive and negative future peer and romantic relationships. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (k=54) indicated that supportive parent-adolescent relationships unidirectionally predicted supportive and negative peer relationships, while negative parent-adolescent relationships were bidirectionally associated with supportive and negative peer relationships. Maintaining mutually supportive relationships with parents may help adolescents to develop positive social relationships.

교육복지사 배치 여부에 따른 단위학교 교육복지 운영사례 비교분석

Objectives The purpose of this study is to compare the operation process of educational welfare at schools, identify limitations, and suggest improvement methods. Methods Considering the placement of educational workers, school level, school location, and number of students, focus group interview and written investigation were conducted on 8 target schools, 16 school faculties. Written investigation and focus group interview questions were constructed based on the CIPP model. The collected data were analyzed based on the CIPP model. Results The educational welfare operation process of the unit school differed depending on the placement of educational workers. First, schools with educational workers tried to realize universal welfare that focuses on satisfying various educational welfare needs for all students, while schools without educational workers focused on the target and scope of educational welfare for students of a specific class. Second, most schools with educational workers were systematically organized into departments, budgeting, and functions and roles of manpower, while schools without educational workers had difficulty operating due to limited manpower, organization, and budget input. Third, in the case of schools with educational workers, various types of support are provided based on the school's internal and external cooperation system, while schools without educational workers have difficulty in selecting target students, case management, and linking with external resources. Finally, regarding the achievements of educational welfare, schools with educational workers presented visible achievements such as student growth, community change, and improvement of educational equity, while non-arranged schools presented visible achievements such as improved academic achievement and positive peer relations. Conclusions Schools should view all students as potential targets of educational welfare. In order to realize educational welfare in daily educational activities, ‘integrated growth support team’ should be established or strengthened on an organizational basis, ‘integrated growth case management’ on a content basis, and ‘cooperative governance’ on a professional basis.

Accelerating progress towards improved mental health and healthy behaviours in adolescents living in adversity: findings from a longitudinal study in South Africa

ABSTRACT Adolescents exposed to high levels of adversity are vulnerable to developing mental health challenges, with long-lasting adverse consequences. Promoting the psychological well-being of adolescents and protecting them from adverse experiences is crucial for their quality of life. There is a need for evidence on which combinations of protective factors can improve the wellbeing of adolescents to inform future programming efforts. We used data from a longitudinal study that took place in Khayelitsha, South Africa, a semi-urban impoverished community in Cape Town. Data were collected from adolescents when they were 12–14 years of age (n = 333) and again at follow-up when they were aged 16–19 years (n = 314). A path analysis was used to estimate associations between access to service, food security, safe environment, family support, and social support and five outcomes related to adolescent mental health and risky behaviours. The fitted model was used to calculate adjusted mean differences comparing different combinations of risk factors. Two protective factors (food security and safe environment) were positively associated with three outcomes relating to mental health and the absence of risky behaviours. Further investigation revealed that the presence of high food security and safer environments was associated with higher adjusted mean scores: +16.2% (p < .0001) in no substance use; +16.5% (p < .0001) in no internalising behaviour, +19.5% (p < .0001) in self-esteem; +12.2% (p < .0001) in positive peer relationships; and +11.4% (p < .0001) in no suicidal ideation. Interventions targeting adolescents, that aim to improve food security together with improving the safety of their environment, are likely to impact their well-being.

Öğretmenlerin Sınıf Yönetimi Becerilerini Geliştirmelerine Etki Eden Sosyal ve Psikolojik Faktörler

In order for a teacher to provide them effectively, he must have developed classroom management skills. An effective teacher in classroom management; A teacher who is competent in regulating plan-program activities, who has control over variables in the classroom, is an appropriate guide in ensuring student-peer relationship. The fact that teachers have effective classroom management skills will support all areas of development of students and improve the quality of the learning environment in the classroom. Quality and a positive atmosphere in a classroom with students steer individual behavior and positive peer relationships, promote desirable behaviors, healthy relationship between teacher and student conduct by a teacher classroom management will be easier. This is more possible by a teacher who provides integration with his own organization. Key Words: Teacher, Classroom Management, Social and Psychological Factors

Network‐related teaching and changes in classroom seating

AbstractThe extent to which teachers make changes in classroom seating reflects, in part, the degree to which they value promoting positive peer relationships in the classroom. We assessed the frequency with which teachers made both minor (i.e., involving only 2–3 students) and major (involving half or more students in the class) changes in classroom seating. We tested whether the frequency of seating changes was linked to teachers' beliefs about promoting positive peer relationships, their attunement to child‐ or peer‐reports of peer victimization, and their concern about bullying at the school. Participants were 37 fourth‐grade teachers and their students (N = 677). The frequency of major seating changes was negatively associated with teachers' peer‐focused classroom seating (PFCS) beliefs and to their attunement to student peer victimization. Minor seating changes were positively associated with PFCS beliefs for teachers with low or average attunement to peer victimization; however, teachers highly attuned to peer victimization made fewer minor seating changes regardless of their PFCS beliefs. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Interpersonal predictors of loneliness in Japanese children: variable- and person-centered approaches

BackgroundLoneliness in children has been a major topic of interest in both clinical and developmental psychology. Further studies to investigate predictors of loneliness are needed for educational practices.MethodsA total of 1088 late elementary school-aged children (48.81% boys, Mage = 10.35) participated in a 1-year longitudinal survey. We used hierarchical linear modeling and mover-stayer latent transition analysis.DiscussionFindings from the variable- and person- centered approaches suggested that less positive peer relations, higher victimization, and higher relational aggression are predictors of higher future loneliness. Meanwhile, both approaches did not reach an agreement concerning predictors to reduce loneliness. This result highlighted a utility of a combined approach and sounded an alarm for overreliance on the variable-centered approach dominating child research.ConclusionTo protect young children from loneliness, it will be more beneficial to prevent the development of loneliness rather than to apply interventions to reduce loneliness once established. Preventive practices need to be implemented to protect children from loneliness.

Problematic smartphone use and functional somatic symptoms among adolescents: Mediating roles of depressive symptoms and peer relationships by gender

This study explored the relationship between problematic smartphone use and depressive symptoms, peer relationships, and functional somatic symptoms with a representative sample of Korean male and female adolescents using serial multiple mediation models. The results identified the mediating effect of depressive symptoms and peer relationships for males in the association between problematic smartphone use and FSS. The serial mediating effect of the two mediators was also verified in the model for males. However, in the model for females, only depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between problematic smartphone use and FSS. The findings suggest that parents and professionals should assess adolescents with problematic smartphone use for the risk of FSS when depressive symptoms develop. Schools should also provide programs to build positive peer relationships to reduce FSS.

Examining Peer Relationships in Transition to Primary School in the Pandemic Process with Teacher and Parent Opinions

The COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in the last days of 2019, continues to be effective until today. In terms of education, especially the 2020-2021 academic year has been almost entirely online. Considering that schools are the place where children are most together with their peers, peer relations are one of the most disrupted issues during the pandemic process. For this reason, this study aims to examine peer relations during the transition to primary school by taking the opinions of parents and teachers. A case study, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. In the study, in which ten parents and six teachers participated, demographic information forms and interview questions were used as data collection tools. As a result of the research, in which content analysis was used in the analysis of the data, it was determined that parents and teachers thought that there were changes in the social-emotional and behavioural development of children during the pandemic process and that they thought that there were negative peer relationships as well as positive peer relationships during the transition to school. The findings are discussed in the light of the relevant literature.