Children's Peer Relations and Social Behavior: A Review of Recent Research in Japan

Abstract

Peer relations is one of the most active research fields in educational psychology and developmental psychology in Japan.The present article provides a brief-review of Japanese peer-relations studies in the last decade from 4 different perspectives:(1) formation and development of peer relations and friendships: formation of peer relations, social status, friendships during adolescence, and group culture, (2) social behavior and peer relations: internalizing problem behavior, externalizing problem behavior, and social skills, (3) cognitive aspects of peer relations: intent attribution, generation and estimation of response strategies, and goal setting and strategy choice, and (4) emotion regulation and peer relations.The research agenda of Japanese peer-relation studies is also discussed.

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the KIDSCREEN-52 health-related quality of life questionnaire for children/adolescents and parents/proxies

“…In addition, research conducted within a general population can help identify at-risk children who may be subject to child abuse, neglect, disrupted families, or other problems within the community [3]. Some children also deal with bullying, developmental disorders [4], poor peer relations [5], and other problems in school. HRQOL measures can be used to identify hidden or unexpected health problems, evaluate health service needs, and thereby influence public policy decisions such that early prevention and, if necessary, intervention to address these concerns is a possibility [1].…”