Peer relations and later personal adjustment: Are low-accepted children at risk?

Abstract

In this review, we examine the oft-made claim that peer-relationship difficulties in childhood predict serious adjustment problems in later life. The article begins with a framework for conceptualizing and assessing children's peer difficulties and with a discussion of conceptual and methodological issues in longitudinal risk research. Following this, three indexes of problematic peer relationships (acceptance, aggressiveness, and shyness/withdrawal) are evaluated as predictors of three later outcomes (dropping out of school, criminality, and psychcpathology). The relation between peer difficulties and later maladjustment is examined in terms of both the consistency and strength of prediction. A review and analysis of the literature indicates general support for the hypothesis that children with poor peer adjustment are at risk for later life difficulties. Support is clearest for the outcomes of dropping out and criminality. It is also clearest for low acceptance and aggressiveness as predictors, whereas a link between shyness/withdrawal and later maladjustment has not yet been adequately tested. The article concludes with a critical discussion of the implicit models that have guided past research in this area and a set of recommendations for the next generation of research on the risk hypothesis.There are striking individual differences in the extent to which children are accepted by their peers. In the extreme, some children are well regarded by all and enjoy many friendships, whereas others are nearly universally disliked and have no friends. In this review, we consider the implication of variability in acceptance or in acceptance-relevant behavior (aggression and shyness/withdrawal) for children's subsequent personal adjustment in three domains: dropping out of school, juvenile and adult criminality, and adult psychopathology. Our goal is to evaluate the empirical support for the premise that poorly accepted children stand a greater chance than others of developing later life difficulties and, therefore, should be considered a group of children at risk. This premise is widespread in the social development literature. Indeed, it serves as the explicit rationale for attempts to delineate the social skills that ensure adequate peer

Friendships with Peers Who are Low or High in Aggression as Moderators of the Link between Peer Victimization and Declines in Academic Functioning

“…Our own theoretical presumptions notwithstanding, a more parsimonious explanation for the described interactions is that friendship is simply an important "marker" variable (see Parker and Asher 1987). Clearly, children who form friendships with nonaggressive peers will differ in important ways from children who have not established such relationships (Criss et al 2002;Schwartz et al 2000).…”

“…Peer victimization was predictive of declines in GPA over two school years for children who did not form friendships with peers who were below the classroom mean on aggression. In contrast, children who were able to establish such friendships seemed to be resilient to the impact of peer group victimization (at Our own theoretical presumptions notwithstanding, a more parsimonious explanation for the described interactions is that friendship is simply an important "marker" variable (see Parker and Asher 1987). Clearly, children who form friendships with nonaggressive peers will differ in important ways from children who have not established such relationships (Criss et al 2002;Schwartz et al 2000).…”

Testing links between childhood positive peer relations and externalizing outcomes through a randomized controlled intervention study.

“…First, there is still controversy on the actual influence that peer relations exert on children's behavior (Parker & Asher, 1987). In fact, according to some researchers, peer relations in general are only markers of later externalizing outcomes.…”

Regrouping: Organized Activity Involvement and Social Adjustment Across the Transition to High School

“…These disruptions come at a critical point in development when friendships and social acceptance are particularly salient (Berndt, 1982;O'Brien & Bierman, 1988). In addition, during this point in development, the amount of time and effort that is spent engaged in peer-related activities increases (Ellis, Rogoff, & Cromer, 1981), and the broad infl uence that peer relationships have on adolescents' functioning across social domains is heightened (Berndt, 1989;Parker & Asher, 1987).…”