Poster #225 - Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Peer Support and Depression in Adolescents

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Adolescence is a time of growing dependence on peer relationships in the development of social identity and peer support networks. These peer relationships can be conceptualized in terms of both support from a single best friend and a more general sense of peer support. Increases in depressive problems have been linked to later declines in social well-being (Verboom et al., 2014). Girls present with significantly higher rates of depression, with the gender gap consistently emerging by age 14 (Wade, et al., 2002). The differences in social experiences between boys and girls requires a more refined look into the relationship between social support (in its variety of manifestations) and depression. Previous research has found that girls report more support from their close friends than other sources (e.g. parents, teachers, classmates), while boys feel significantly less support from their classmates than other sources (Reuger et al., 2008). This study examines the gender differences in the impact of peer support on depression, focusing on support in terms of the use of social support coping strategies, school belonging, and best friend closeness.

Participants were 860 sixth-grade students from public middle schools in Oregon, California, and Wisconsin (43% boys, 52% girls, 5% unreported; Mage=11.94, SD=0.61), drawn from a larger study. The participants were ethnically diverse, self-reporting as Caucasian (30%, N=257), Latinx (29%, N=245), African-American (13%, N=113), Asian-American (8%, N=71), from multiethnic backgrounds (10%, N=87), and from other ethnic backgrounds or uncodeable (10%, N=87). Participants completed a survey including the Children’s Depression Inventory (Kovaks, 1979), a self-report coping scale from which social support was examined (based on Kochenderfer-Ladd & Skinner, 2002), the Friendship Qualities Scale from which best friend closeness was utilized (Bukowski, et al., 1994), and the measure of school belonging from the Effective School Battery (Gottfredson, 1984).

As shown in Figure 1, girls scored significantly higher than boys on all measured variables, except for school belonging. Regression analyses were conducted in which depression was predicted by gender, a peer relationship indicator (social support coping, school belonging, and best friend closeness), and the interaction between the two terms. Each peer relationship variable was tested in its own model. As shown in Figure 2, higher levels of social support and school belonging were more strongly related to lower depression scores in girls than boys. A significant interaction was not found when modeling the impact of closeness with one’s best friend on depression, indicating that this protective factor is equally strong across genders.

These results support previous research regarding gender differences in social relationships and depression while also challenging the notion that girls rely primarily on their best friend for support in a manner different than boys. This study supports the hypothesis that girls rely more on the support of their peer group than boys in terms of reducing depression while reliance on a best friend remains impactful. Further exploration of this topic may reveal the extent to which interventions for adolescent depression should take a more gender-aware stance when targeting peer support.

Authors

• Paige Fredenburg, Willamette University
  Presenting Author

• Joshua Bolle, Willamette University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Melissa R. Witkow, Willamette university
  Non-Presenting Author