Peer Influences on Risk Behavior: An Analysis of the Effects of a Close Friend.

Abstract

Cross-sectional research suggests that peer influence has a moderate to strong impact on adolescent risk behavior. Such estimates may be inflated owing to third-variable confounds representing either friendship selection effects or the operation of parallel events. Approximately 1,700 peer dyads in Grades 7 to 11 were studied over a 1-year period to estimate the influence of closest friends on sexual activity and binge drinking. Analyses suggested that peer influence was small but reliable when both selection effects and parallel events were taken into account. Peer influence varied as a function of individual-peer similarity and maternal relations but not in accord with other theoretical predictions. It is suggested that the magnitude of peer effects in previous research may be overestimated in many contexts.

Detrimental psychological outcomes associated with early pubertal timing in adolescent girls

“…Children do not select into peer groups at random, but rather become friends with children who are like them (Guo, 2005;Jaccard, 2005). This means that aggressive children are more likely to become friends with other aggressive children.…”

Peer effects, fast food consumption and adolescent weight gain

“…3 The aim of this paper is to go beyond the black box approach of peer effects in weight gain and try to identify one crucial mechanism through which peer effects in adolescence overweight may flow: eating habits (as 1 While Cohen-Cole and Fletcher (2008) found that there is no evidence of peer effects in weight gain, most of the literature is consistent with the presence of these effects. 2 Researchers also found that friends had a significant effect in adolescent smoking, drinking, illicit drug use (Clark and Loheac, 2007) and risky sex (Jaccard et al, 2005). 3 One recent exception is Yakusheva et al (2010) who look at peer effects in weight gain and in weight management behaviours such as eating and physical exercise, using randomly assigned pairs of roommates in freshman year.…”

Sociometric Status and Social Drinking: Observations of Modelling and Persuasion in Young Adult Peer Groups

“…Traditionally, best friends are the main focus when studying peer influences (e.g., Andrews et al 2002;Jaccard et al 2005;Poelen et al 2007). The drinking behaviour of best friends may be a useful parameter in measuring peer influence, since best friends spend much time together (Jost et al 1985) and play an important role in the lives of young adults (Hartup 1996).…”