Suchergebnisse

The current study examines adolescents' subjective experiences interacting with same‐gender and other‐gender friends, with a focus on interactions involving disclosure about personal problems. Participants were 510 youth (65% White or European American, 26% Black or African American) in seventh grade (n = 244; M = 13.01 years; 51% girls) and tenth grade (n = 266; M = 16.03 years; 52% girls). Adolescents completed an event‐contingent sampling assessment to record interactions with same‐gender and other‐gender friends. Results indicated that middle adolescents were more likely to interact with other‐gender friends than early adolescents. Girls were more likely to report problem disclosure interactions than boys; however, boys reported more positive subjective experiences in problem disclosure interactions with other‐gender friends than did girls.

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, adolescents' typical social support systems have been disrupted. The present study examined adolescent adjustment during the pandemic (summer, 2020) while controlling for pre‐pandemic adjustment (2017–2018) in 170 youth (ages 12–20) from Missouri and Florida. We also examined whether positive and negative relationship qualities with four close others (i.e., mothers, fathers, siblings, and best friends) interacted with COVID‐related stress to impact adolescent adjustment. In general, we found that close relationships impacted adolescent adjustment in expected directions (i.e., positive relationships better for adjustment, negative relationships more detrimental), but while mothers and fathers impacted adolescent adjustment in largely similar ways to pre‐pandemic studies, influences of relationships with best friends and sibling were more impacted by COVID‐related stress.

Little research has examined the association of parents' friendships with adolescent's well‐being, perhaps because the association was considered too distal. However, developmental theories suggest that contexts in which parents, but not their children, are situated may be related to child development (Bronfenbrenner,,). The current work examined associations between the quality of mothers' own friendships and their adolescent children's friendship quality and emotional adjustment. Fifth‐, eighth‐, and eleventh‐graders (N = 172) whose mothers' friendships were characterized by conflict and antagonism reported having friendships that were high in negative friendship qualities as well as elevated internalizing symptoms. These associations held after controlling for mother–child relationship quality, suggesting that mothers' friendships may have a unique association with adolescents' adjustment.

This study aimed to examine changes in depression and anxiety symptoms from before to during the first 6 months of the COVID‐19 pandemic in a sample of 1,339 adolescents (9–18 years old, 59% female) from three countries. We also examined if age, race/ethnicity, disease burden, or strictness of government restrictions moderated change in symptoms. Data from 12 longitudinal studies (10 U.S., 1 Netherlands, 1 Peru) were combined. Linear mixed effect models showed that depression, but not anxiety, symptoms increased significantly (median increase = 28%). The most negative mental health impacts were reported by multiracial adolescents and those under 'lockdown' restrictions. Policy makers need to consider these impacts by investing in ways to support adolescents' mental health during the pandemic.