Pathways to Adolescent Physical Health Outcomes: Unpacking the Power of Peers

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Peers take on heightened developmental significance during adolescence and exert profound effects on adolescents’ overall adjustment and well-being. Indeed, extensive research highlights that adolescents’ peer relationships significantly influence their mental health. However, considerably less is known about if, and how, peer experiences contribute to adolescents’ biological functioning and physical health outcomes. Given that health behaviors are established in adolescence, and physiological dysregulation during this developmental period increases risk for long-term illness and disease, it is critical to understand what role peers play in shaping adolescent physical health.

The proposed symposium brings together researchers who are using innovative methods and interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks to study peer influences on adolescent physical health. The first paper, focusing on the daily experiences of Detroit-based youth with asthma, investigates links between adolescents’ daily peer stress, sleep disruption, and respiratory symptoms. Capitalizing on a large, national sample of LGBTQ adolescents in the US, the second paper examines the effects of weight-based bullying on unhealthy eating behaviors, stress, and overall health, also considering the role of state legislation as a prevention strategy. The third paper uses longitudinal data collected from Dutch adolescents across two years to evaluate the effects of peer victimization on subsequent pro-inflammatory and anti-viral gene expression activity. The final paper tests reciprocal associations between positive friendship experiences and sleep problems in a large sample of German adolescents across one school year. Collectively, these studies underscore the power of peers to shape adolescents’ physical health outcomes in both positive and negative ways.

Sub Unit

• Social Relationships

Chairs

• Hannah Schacter, Wayne State University

• Leah Marie Lessard, University of Connecticut

Individual Presentations

• Daily Peer Problems among Adolescents: Investigating Associations with Asthma Symptoms via Sleep - Presenting Author: Hannah Schacter, Wayne State University; Non-Presenting Author: Richard B. Slatcher, University of Georgia; Non-Presenting Author: Jacqueline Rodriguez-Stanley, Wayne State University; Non-Presenting Author: Russell Houpt, Arizona State University; Non-Presenting Author: Samuele Zilioli, Wayne State University

• Health Risks of Weight-Based Bullying among LGBTQ Adolescents: Effects of Legislation as a Prevention Strategy - Presenting Author: Leah Marie Lessard, University of Connecticut; Non-Presenting Author: Ryan J Watson, University of Connecticut; Non-Presenting Author: Hannah Schacter, Wayne State University; Non-Presenting Author: Christopher W Wheldon, Temple University; Non-Presenting Author: Rebecca M Puhl, University of Connecticut

• Peer Victimization Affects Gene Expression Profiles during Adolescence - Presenting Author: Matteo Giletta, Ghent University; Non-Presenting Author: Steve W Cole, University of California, Los Angeles

• Positive Friendship Experiences and Sleep in Adolescence: Data from the GABRIELA Ulm Cohort - Presenting Author: Kelly M. Tu, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Non-Presenting Author: Jon Genuneit, Leipzig University; Ulm University; Non-Presenting Author: Tianying Cai, Northwestern University; Non-Presenting Author: Cristian Ricci, Leipzig University