Poster #219 - Development of Early Adolescent Friendship Quality and Social Skills over Time

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Friendship in childhood and adolescence has long been conceptualized as a training ground for competence in social and relational capacities. To be sure, there is a great deal of literature linking social skills to peer outcomes. Specific to dyadic friendships, extant research has linked friendship quality to current and future individual outcomes such as well-being and academic achievement. Nevertheless, few studies have considered the quality of friendships as an antecedent of specific social skills, particularly over time. This is regrettable given that theoretical models suggest that behaviors and skills can be acquired through interactions with peers, and perhaps especially with friends.

Self-control and cooperation are two important and distinct social skills that are important to friendship goals. Self-control opens doors for children in social settings as it includes the skills to conform to social norms as well as meet personal goals. Children who have higher levels of cooperation will have that skill to bring into all their relationships, which can lead to improved relationship quality and more positive interactions.

This study focused on the growth of perceived friendship quality from third to sixth grades and the associations among early and changing friendship quality with sixth grade social skills. First, I anticipated that perceived friendship quality would increase from third to sixth grades. Second, I anticipated that initial levels and accelerating levels of friendship quality would have independent, positive associations with changes in self-control and cooperation from third to sixth grade. These hypotheses were tested using the NICHD SECCYD sample (N = 1082; 50.3% female; 83% White), and a multi-reporter, four-year longitudinal design.

For the first hypothesis, a latent growth curve analysis found that perceived friendship quality increased across the transition to adolescence, with a greater mean and acceleration among girls compared to boys. In addressing the second hypothesis, a structural equation model was used (Figure 1). Both the intercept and the slope of perceived friendship quality were positively associated with changes in self-control and cooperation. Positive links to the slope indicate that as perceived friendship quality changes and grows with children’s maturation, that change is associated with increasing levels of self-control and cooperation across middle childhood. There were no gender differences in the second aim.

Results of the latent growth curve were comparable to growth seen in adolescence, demonstrating that similar patterns occur even before peers are expected to become the most salient of relationships. Findings from the structural equation model highlight the importance of initial and increasing friendship quality as precursors to change in the specific skills of self-control and cooperation. As perceived friendship quality increases, so too do self-control and cooperation. Early adolescents who perceive that their friendships increasingly meet their needs and provide enjoyment are also increasing their own skills and abilities. Findings support the notion that high quality friendships are a training ground for the improvement of the critical social skills of self-control and cooperation.

Author

• Bethany L. Blair, Florida State University
  Presenting Author