Friendship quality as a moderator between perception of interparental conflicts and maladjustment in adolescence

Abstract

The aim of this study was to longitudinally examine the moderating role of friendship quality in the association between adolescent perception of interparental conflicts and maladjustment. Participants were 1294 adolescents enrolled in the Dutch CONAMORE 2001—2006 study ( Mage = 13.6 years). AMOS multigroup analyses were utilized. Results show that low friendship quality is a risk factor for both boys and girls, aggravating the effect of interparental conflicts on anxiety, whereas for aggression this was only the case for boys. No convincing support was found for high friendship quality's protective function against the effect of perceived interparental conflict on maladjustment. These findings show the substantial importance of not being in a low quality friendship when adolescents perceive interparental conflicts.

The Importance of Friendship for Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

“…Presumably, the protective effect of friendship would occur primarily, if not exclusively, for children who have high quality, stable friendships with well-adjusted peers (Hartup and Stevens 1997). Although high friendship quality (Allen et al 2006a; Larsen et al 2007) and also friendship stability (Berndt and Keefe 1995) have been cross-sectionally correlated with adjustment, there are no longitudinal studies that compare these friendship constructs in the same sample. Among adolescents, evidence suggests that friends influence one another to become more similar by responding positively to actions by their friend that match their own behavior (Berndt 1999; Dishion and Owen 2002).…”

“…In addition to their difficulties with peers, children with ADHD often have conflictual relationships with their families (Johnston and Mash 2001; Mikami and Pfiffner 2007). Based on research suggesting that the buffering effect of friendship is strongest for typically developing youth who have poor parent–child relationships (Henrich et al 2006; Larsen et al 2007; Stocker and Richmond 2007), good friendships may make the most substantive difference for the population of children with ADHD. Supporting this idea, related research suggests that once in a deviant peer network, boys with ADHD are more vulnerable to the antisocial influences of those friends than are comparison boys (Marshal et al 2003); again, this may occur because comparison boys have positive relationships with family to counteract the effects of poorly adjusted friends.…”

The Interplay Between Parents and Peers as Socializing Influences in Children's Development

“…Along these lines, Wasserstein and La Greca ' s (1996) longitudinal study of fourth to sixth graders found that social support from close friends moderated the relationship between perceived parental discord and children ' s teacherreported behavior problems. Numerous studies have also found moderating effects of peer relationships for turbulent family experiences in adolescence (e.g., Lansford, Criss, Pettit, Dodge, & Bates, 2003 ;Larsen, Branje, van der Valk, & Meeus, 2007 ).…”

Evolutionary Perspectives on Adolescence

“…The gender difference reported by Larsen et al (2007) is likely due to gender differences in the level of intimacy and type of social support provided by friends. Rose (1985) demonstrated differences for same-versus cross-sex friendships in adults, such that same-sex friendships offered more social support.…”

“…Adolescents without supportive friendships and social networks are less resilient in stressful situations and are at greater risk for internalizing and externalizing problems (e.g., poor psychological health, deviant behaviors) (Scholte et al 2001). Indeed, adolescents with high friend support but low parental support, may have a buffer against family dysfunction and life stress, exhibiting better adjustment as evidenced by higher self-esteem, greater social competence, lower anxiety, and lower aggression, especially for boys (Larsen et al 2007). …”