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Patterns of Stable Early Adolescent Friendships and Their Associations with Individual Adjustment

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Date Issued:
2007
Summary:
Strong evidence links positive and negative features of adolescent friendship to adjustment outcomes. However, the majority of these studies adopt a variable-oriented approach, which can obscure differences between subgroups. This study used a person-oriented approach to examine the patterns of friendship quality and their association with adolescent adjustment outcomes. To this end , both members of 88 stable friendships reported on the quality of their relationship and target adolescents reported on their adjustment (behavior problems, friendship competence, scholastic competence, behavioral conduct, global self-worth, and school grades) at both Grade 6 and Grade 7. K-means cluster analyses identified three distinct patterns in friendship quality at both Grade 6 and Grade 7: /ow positivity, high negativity, and high quality. These groups exhibited structural stability. The high negativity group and the high quality group both exhibited interindividual stability. Person-oriented analyses indicated adolescents in the high quality group tended to have the best adjustment outcomes, whereas adolescents in the high negativity group tended to have the worst adjustment outcomes. Additionally, person-oriented analyses indicated that adolescents whose friendships increased in quality also tended to report increased friendship competence. Adolescents whose friendships decreased in quality tended to report decreased global self-worth . Supplemental variable-oriented analyses generally complemented the findings of the person-oriented analyses. Overall, these findings suggest that many adolescents have enduring friendships that are less than ideal. Moreover, different low quality friendships have different associations with adjustment. These findings also suggest that friendships may not have pervasive influence on adjustment outcomes. Specifically, friendship quality appears to be strongly associated with behavior problems, friendship competence, and self-esteem.
Title: Patterns of Stable Early Adolescent Friendships and Their Associations with Individual Adjustment.
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Name(s): Mooney, Karen Sara
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Laursen, Brett, Thesis advisor
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Department of Psychology
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2007
Date Issued: 2007
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 163 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Strong evidence links positive and negative features of adolescent friendship to adjustment outcomes. However, the majority of these studies adopt a variable-oriented approach, which can obscure differences between subgroups. This study used a person-oriented approach to examine the patterns of friendship quality and their association with adolescent adjustment outcomes. To this end , both members of 88 stable friendships reported on the quality of their relationship and target adolescents reported on their adjustment (behavior problems, friendship competence, scholastic competence, behavioral conduct, global self-worth, and school grades) at both Grade 6 and Grade 7. K-means cluster analyses identified three distinct patterns in friendship quality at both Grade 6 and Grade 7: /ow positivity, high negativity, and high quality. These groups exhibited structural stability. The high negativity group and the high quality group both exhibited interindividual stability. Person-oriented analyses indicated adolescents in the high quality group tended to have the best adjustment outcomes, whereas adolescents in the high negativity group tended to have the worst adjustment outcomes. Additionally, person-oriented analyses indicated that adolescents whose friendships increased in quality also tended to report increased friendship competence. Adolescents whose friendships decreased in quality tended to report decreased global self-worth . Supplemental variable-oriented analyses generally complemented the findings of the person-oriented analyses. Overall, these findings suggest that many adolescents have enduring friendships that are less than ideal. Moreover, different low quality friendships have different associations with adjustment. These findings also suggest that friendships may not have pervasive influence on adjustment outcomes. Specifically, friendship quality appears to be strongly associated with behavior problems, friendship competence, and self-esteem.
Identifier: FA00000871 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2007.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Subject(s): Friendship in youth
Teenagers--Social networks
Self-esteem in adolescence
Interpersonal relations in adolescence
Adjustment (Psychology)
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000871
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.