We investigated the development of children’s self-reported positive (Companionship and Recreation, Validation and Caring, Help and Guidance, Intimate Disclosure, and Conflict Resolution) and negative (Conflict and Betrayal) friendship quality from the third to sixth grades using The National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development data (NICHD SECCYD; n = 1,364; M age = 9.03 years; 51.70% boys at recruitment). Consistent with expectations, growth models suggested that children reported higher positive, and lower negative, friendship quality with age. Boys had significantly lower positive friendship quality at third grade and slower increases than girls. Boys had slower decreases in negative friendship quality than girls. It is possible that different social orientations explain sex differences in friendship quality trajectories. Further research is needed to explore other factors that might account for individual differences in friendship quality trajectories.

Relations among White (non‐Latinx) children's empathy‐related responding, prosocial behaviors, and racial attitudes toward White and Black peers were examined. In 2017, 190 (54% boys) White 5‐ to 9‐year‐old children (M = 7.09 years, SD = 0.94) watched a series of videos that depicted social rejection of either a White or Black child. Empathy‐related responses, prosocial behaviors, and racial attitudes were measured using multiple methods. Results showed that younger children showed less facial concern toward Black than White peers and greater increases with age in concern and prosocial behaviors (sharing a desirable prize) for Black, compared to White, targets. Children's facial anger increased with age for White but not Black targets. The findings can extend our understanding children's anti‐racism development.

Emerging evidence suggests that family members’ stress and family interactions vary across days. This study examined the daily associations among parental and adolescent daily stress, parental warmth, and adolescent adjustment with a 30-day daily diary study among 99 ethnically diverse Canadian parent–adolescent dyads (54% White, 23% Asian, 9% multiracial, M age = 14.5, 55% female). Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed a negative within-day link between parental daily stress and parental warmth, and positive within-day links between adolescent daily stress and their emotional problems and negative affect. Parental warmth was positively associated with the next day’s adolescent positive affect and prosocial behaviors, and explained the cross-day link between parental daily stress and adolescent adaptive outcomes. The findings indicate parent-driven effects in daily family stress processes.

We investigated how 5th–8th graders’ self- and peer-identified withdrawal motivations predicted peer-reported peer relationships and aggression. Participants ( N = 221; 47% male) provided self-reports and peer-nomination data (we analyzed 339 students’ nominations). We hypothesized shyness, unsociability, and avoidance would predict low peer liking and high exclusion; shyness and avoidance would predict high victimization and peer disliking; and avoidance would predict high aggression. Support was mixed. Results varied by withdrawal motivation reporter. Self-identified shy and avoidant individuals had low peer liking. Self-identified shy individuals had low disliking and low victimization. Peer-identified shy individuals had low disliking, high exclusion, and low aggression. Peer-identified unsociable individuals had low liking and high exclusion. Peer-identified avoidant individuals had low liking, high disliking, high exclusion, high victimization, and high aggression. Results suggest that peer-identified avoidant individuals have a concerning profile of peer relationships and aggression. Longitudinal work is needed to understand the developmental sequelae of avoidance.

Using month‐long daily diary data collected between 2019 and 2020 among 99 dyads of Canadian parents (58.6% White, Mage = 43.5, 69.7% female) and adolescents (51.5% White, Mage = 14.6, 53.5% female) from middle to high socioeconomic status families, this study investigated parents' and adolescents' daily shared and unique perceptions of parental psychological control and adolescent emotional problems at within‐ and between‐family level, and examined their cross‐day associations. Multilevel multi‐trait multi‐method confirmatory factor analysis revealed both convergence and divergence across parent–adolescent perceptions at the within level, but no convergence at the between level. Dynamic structural equation modeling revealed cross‐day associations across different perspectives of parenting and adolescent behaviors. Findings contribute novel knowledge to understanding parent–child daily interactions with a multi‐informant approach.