Toward an Integrated Model of Supportive Peer Relationships in Early Adolescence: A Systematic Review and Exploratory Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Supportive peer relationships (SPR) are crucial for mental and physical health. Early adolescence is an especially important period in which peer influence and school environment strongly shape psychological development and maturation of core social-emotional regulatory functions. Yet, there is no integrated evidence based model of SPR in this age group to inform future research and practice. The current meta-analysis synthetizes evidence from 364 studies into an integrated model of potential determinants of SPR in early adolescence. The model encompasses links with 93 variables referring to individual (identity, skills/strengths, affect/well-being, and behavior/health) and environmental (peer group, school, family, community, and internet/technology) potential influences on SPR based on cross-sectional correlational data. Findings suggest the central importance of identity and social–emotional skills in SPR. School environment stands out as a compelling setting for future prevention programs. Finally, we underscore an alarming gap of research on the influence of the virtual and online environment on youth's social realm given its unquestionable importance as a globally expanding social interaction setting. Hence, we propose an integrated model that can serve as organizational framework, which may ultimately lead to the adoption of a more structured and integrated approach to understanding peer relationship processes in youth and contribute to overcoming marked fragmentation in the field.

Primary school students’ attitudes towards peers displaying hyperactivity: Examining impacts of homophily and inter‐group contact on students’ social inclusion

“…This finding confirms the ongoing need and demand for an inclusive environment where friendships can be cultivated, since these play a crucial role in terms of developmental as well as emotional support (Bagwell & Bukowski, 2018;Maunder & Monks, 2019). This is especially important for students displaying hyperactivity since their socialemotional well-being often remains below that of their peers without such symptoms (e.g., Mitic et al, 2021;Maunder et al, 2019).…”

“…Friendships are, however, crucial for the well-being, self-worth and social-emotional development of students (e.g., Mitic et al, 2021;Maunder et al, 2019;Kidger et al, 2012). In this context, it has been highlighted, that students with behaviour difficulties and hyperactivity have less sense of school belonging (see e.g., Dimitrellou & Hurry, 2019).…”

Digital Interventions for Emotion Regulation in Children and Early Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…The malleability of affective neural circuitry is heightened from late childhood through early adolescence [5,6]. Hence, this is a period of particular interest for harnessing adaptive emotion regulation strategies, which may support positive social outcomes and psychological well-being [7][8][9]. Proximal social input that manipulates the environment in a positive manner, such as targeted intervention, can improve emotion regulation ability [10,11].…”

Childhood Trauma and Psychological Distress: A Serial Mediation Model among Chinese Adolescents

“…First, adolescents are transferring their focus gradually from their family to peers, school, and community. Meanwhile, the range of social interaction is broadened during the period of adolescence compared with childhood, which indicates that adolescents may have chances to look for new resources and support to deal with their trauma and mental distress [ 11 ]. Moreover, adolescence is another critical period of rapid development of brain growth and function compared with adulthood and old age.…”