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PubMed1990

Peer-group association and adolescent tobacco use.

Mosbach & Leventhal (1988) examined the relation of cigarette smoking to peer-group identification in rural Wisconsin adolescents. They found that among dirts (problem-prone youth), regulars (average youth), hot-shots (good social or academic performers), and jocks (athletes), youth most likely to smoke were dirts and hot-shots. We performed a replication with a Southern California cohort and also for use of smokeless tobacco. We hypothesized that jocks would be the main users of smokeless tobacco. We identified the same groups and an additional one, skaters (skateboarders or surfers). As Mosbach & Leventhal found, cigarettes were used most by dirts. Contrary to their results, but consistent with other research, we found that hot-shots were least likely to smoke. Contrary to our prediction, we found that skaters and dirts were more likely to use smokeless tobacco than were jocks. Our data show that both tobacco forms are used by problem-prone youth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Individual risk and social risk as interacting determinants of victimization in the peer group.

This study evaluated the hypothesis that the behavior problems that place children at risk for victimization by peers are associated with victimization primarily when children are also at social risk for victimization. Social risk was defined as lacking supportive friends or as being rejected by the peer group. Participants were 229 boys and girls in the 3rd through 7th grades (M age = 11 years 2 months). As predicted, behavior problems (internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and physical weakness) were more strongly related to victimization when children had few friends, had friends who were incapable of fulfilling a protective function (e.g., were physically weak), or were rejected by peers than when children had more friends, had friends capable of defending them, or were better liked by peers. Results illustrate the principle that individual risk variables depend on social context for expression.

Child↗
PubMed1990

A direct nomination method for the identification of neglected members in children's peer groups.

This paper describes two studies that compared a direct nomination method for identifying the neglected members of children's peer groups with the commonly used derived social impact score method. In the first study, first-grade children were asked to nominate peers to a neglect dimension in addition to the traditional sociometric dimensions of like and dislike. Both neglect and social impact scores were quite stable over time. Social impact scores were significantly more stable than neglect scores when the full range of scores was considered; however, when the two measures were compared in terms of the stability with which children are identified as extreme scores, the two methods were equally reliable. In spite of this similarity, the two measures identified different children as extreme scorers on each occasion. In an attempt to explain this confusion, the second study investigated the patterns of correlations between observed behaviors and directly nominated neglect, like, and dislike scores and derived social preference and social impact scorers. Results indicated that directly nominated neglect scores were correlated with observed behavioral variables that are consistent with the notion of social neglect. Derived social impact scores were related to observed behavioral variables exactly as their component parts (directly nominated like and dislike scores) were related to these variables; thus, they carried little new information.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of an informal peer group experience on baccalaureate nursing students' emotional well-being and professional socialization.

Although studies have documented the importance of the academic environment in promoting positive outcomes among students, few quantitative studies in nursing have been performed to identify strategies through which a nurturing learning environment can be created. A randomized two-group pretest-posttest design was used to investigate effects of an informal peer group experience on baccalaureate nursing students' emotional well-being and professional socialization as caring practitioners. Groups did not differ significantly on the outcomes measured in this study. As a whole, students showed statistically significant increases in anxiety, depression, and negative affect, along with decreased self-esteem and positive affect during the junior year of nursing school. Psychological problems and stress-related symptoms have been well documented among college students in general and professional students in particular. Although the findings from this study are not unique, they suggest the need to reconsider strategies by which the affective and professional socialization goals of undergraduate nursing education can be achieved.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

Organizing and maintaining peer supervision groups.

Peer supervision groups (PSGs) are attractive to psychotherapists for many reasons, including ongoing consultation and support, networking, and combating professional isolation. These leaderless groups offer opportunities for interpersonal learning from peers, and the parallel process within PSGs can be an important consultative tool. Unfortunately, many PSGs fail. PSGs benefit from careful attention to contract, task, gatekeeping, and group process, including resistances and dynamics of competition, and shame.

Cooperative Behavior↗
PubMed2001

Longitudinal family and peer group effects on violence and nonviolent delinquency.

Explored the longitudinal relations between family relationships and parenting characteristics, violence and nonviolent delinquency of peers, and individual delinquency and violence using data from a sample of 246 adolescent male participants in the Chicago Youth Development Study. Family and parenting characteristics were measured when participants averaged 12 years of age, peer group offending when participants averaged 14 years of age, and individual offending when participants averaged 17 years of age. Family characteristics and parenting were represented by an ordinal variable ranging from exceptional families characterized by emotional closeness, strong beliefs about family, and good parenting skills, to struggling families characterized by a lack of emotional cohesion, deviant beliefs, and poor parenting. Peers' violence but not nonviolent delinquency predicted individual violence and nonviolent delinquency, and family types predicted peer deviance as well as individual violence and delinquency. Effects varied somewhat due to gang membership and ethnicity.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Young children's play qualities in same-, other-, and mixed-sex peer groups.

This research examined how children's play varied as a function of the sex of the child, the sex of the play partner, and whether they played in dyads or groups. Children (mean age = 52 months) were observed during their free play. Data revealed that boys' same-sex play was more active-forceful, further from adults, and more stereotyped than girls' play, and that this pattern was generally exaggerated in groups versus dyads. Children rarely played only with children of the other sex (other-sex peers), but about one fourth of their interactions involved children of both sexes (mixed-sex peers). Compared with same- or dyadic other-sex play, mixed-sex play was more likely to occur near adults, and was intermediate in active-forceful and stereotyped activity choices. Findings confirmed that children's experiences in peer groups vary depending on the sex of the child and sex of play partners.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

Peer groups and substance use: examining the direct and interactive effect of leisure activity.

This paper explores the relationships among adolescent leisure activities, peer behavior, and substance use. We suggest that peer group interaction can have a differential effect on adolescent deviant behavior depending on the type of leisure pattern adolescents engage in. We analyze data from a representative national sample of Icelandic adolescents, exploring the variations in the use of alcohol and illegal drugs among three different patterns of leisure activity, controlling for parental ties and school commitment. The findings show that alcohol and substance use varies significantly across the three leisure patterns. Moreover, it was found that the well-known relationship between adolescent substance use and having substance-using friends is significantly contingent on the type of leisure pattern. Our findings suggest that it is important to take into account different peer leisure activities in order to understand adolescent substance use. Finally, we discuss the implications of the findings for prevention work with adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Community violence exposure and children's social adjustment in the school peer group: the mediating roles of emotion regulation and social cognition.

This study reports a cross-sectional investigation of the relation between community violence exposure and peer group social maladjustment in 285 inner-city children in Grades 4-6 (mean age = 10.3 years). Children completed an inventory assessing exposure to community violence through witnessing and through direct victimization. A peer nomination inventory was then administered to assess social adjustment with peers (aggression, peer rejection, and bullying by peers). In addition, social-cognitive biases and emotion regulation capacities were examined as potential mediators. Analyses indicated that violent victimization was associated with negative social outcomes through the mediation of emotion dysregulation. Witnessed violence was linked only to aggressive behavior. Social information processing, rather than emotion dysregulation, appeared to mediate this association. These results demonstrate that violence exposure is linked to multiple levels of behavioral and social maladjustment and suggest that there are distinct patterns of risk associated with different forms of exposure.

Aggression↗
PubMed1993

Peer group structure and adolescent cigarette smoking: a social network analysis.

Social network theory and analysis are applied to examine whether adolescents who fill various social positions that characterize peer group structure differ in prevalence of current smoking. One thousand and ninety-two (1,092) ninth graders in one school system named their three best friends, allowing the identification of each adolescent as clique member, clique liaison, or isolate. At four of five schools, the odds of being a current smoker were significantly higher for isolates than for clique members and liaisons. The relationship was not explained by demographic variables or by the number of friends who smoke.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Loud, sad or bad: young people's perceptions of peer groups and smoking.

This paper suggests that most 13 year olds and many 11 year olds have a clear and detailed grasp of their own social map, recognize the pecking order which is established amongst their peers and are aware of the different levels of risk-taking behaviour, including smoking, adopted by different peer groups in their school year. Thirty six 11 year olds and 40 13 year olds took part in the study. Their remarkably consistent views about which pupils adopt or reject smoking are closely related to their perceptions of their social map. Their accounts differentiate top girls, top boys, middle pupils, low-status pupils, trouble-makers and loners, associating smoking behaviour consistently with three of the five groups--the top girls, the low-status pupils and the trouble makers. Top boys, although sharing many of the characteristics of top girls, have an added protection factor--their keen interest in football and physical fitness. From their descriptions, it is apparent that different groups of pupils smoke for different reasons which are related to pecking order and group membership. The implications of these young people's views for health education programmes to prevent smoking and other risk-taking behaviours are far reaching.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Sociometric classification methods in school peer groups: a comparative investigation.

The categorical consequences and psychometric properties of different sociometric classification methods were evaluated. Children aged 9 to 12 years (N = 254) completed three sociometric questionnaires and a peer assessment measure on two occasions 5 weeks apart. The sociometric data were analysed using 13 different methods. Analysis of kappa values indicated relatively poor agreement across methods on subject classification. Temporal stability of the classifications was also poor. Assessment of construct validity involved analysis of the peer assessment items, using MANOVA to test hypotheses based on ideas from social exchange theory. Cross-sex rating biases and difficulties with the neglected and controversial classifications are discussed as indicating a need for the application of theoretically based approaches which consider features of the peer group social system and a need for caution in selecting methods for clinical use.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Parents, peer groups, and other socializing influences.

Three propositions that are central to J. R. Harris's group socialization theory (1995, 1998) are considered in this review. These propositions are as follows: (a) Parental behaviors have no long-term effects on children's psychological characteristics, (b) peer groups are the primary environmental influence on psychological functioning, and (c) dyadic relationships are situation-specific and do not generalize. The evidence that J. R. Harris has outlined in support of each of these propositions is reviewed, as is additional empirical research not considered by J. R. Harris. Serious limitations to each proposition are identified. The available evidence is more consistent with a model of multiple socialization agents. An expanded research agenda that permits a more definitive test of J. R. Harris's propositions and social relationship theory is proposed.

Child↗
PubMed1976

Using peer-group intervention with problem students in a secondary school.

Twenty adolescent girls whose records showed poor academic performance and frequent truancies and referrals to the guidance office were selected to participate in a pilot project to provide a peer-group experience for students having difficulty at school. Half the students were placed in a control group and received regular services from the school. Students in the experimental group attended 12 discussion sessions held during the school day. A one-year follow-up showed that seven in the experimental group and one in the control group had improved.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Attachment, positive affect, and competence in the peer group: two studies in construct validation.

2 studies were undertaken to assess the positive affective correlates of secure attachment in infancy and to assess the relation between secure attachment in infancy and competence in the peer group at age 3 1/2 years. In study 1, smiling and smiling combined with vocalizing and/or showing toys distinguished securely from anxiously attached infants during free play at age 18 months. Rated quality of affective sharing distinguished securely from anxiously attached infants during free play at 18 months and 24 months. Thus, secure attachment involves more than the absence of negative or maladaptive behavior directed toward a caregiver. Study 2 assessed cross-age, cross-situational, and cross-behavioral consistency in quality of social adaptation. Quality of infant-mother attachment relationships at age 15 months was related to Q-sort assessments of personal and interpersonal competence in the preschool play-group at age 3 1/2 years. The results contribute to the validation of attachment as an important developmental construct. They also suggest that age appropriate assessment of developmental social competence constructs can be a useful alternative to the study of homotypic behavioral continuity.

Affect↗
PubMed2006

Shaping understanding of HIV through negotiation and conflict resolution during peer group discussion.

High-risk behavior in youths related to HIV transmission continues to occur despite large-scale efforts to disseminate information about safe sexual practices through education. Our study examined the relationships among knowledge, decision-making strategies, and risk assessment about HIV by youths during peer group focused discussions. Two focus groups with first-year college students were conducted, with a series of questions about risk for HIV transmission as prompts. All group interactions were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using methods of discourse analysis to characterize a detailed description of the interactions. The results indicated that youths negotiated their perspectives with the use of justification and elaboration to support alternative opinions and positions. They used concrete experiential examples to further explain and illustrate their positions, Opposing views or arguments met with requests for clarification and further negotiation. This cycle of clarification-negotiation shaped their understanding of HIV-related concepts. The use of strategies, such as justification of alternative positions and the use of examples as support for arguments to clarify and negotiate various perspectives, could be used as a tool for designing educational programs to improve understanding of health related issues, such as HIV transmission and prevention.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Smoking and peer groups: results from a longitudinal qualitative study of young people in Northern Ireland.

Previous research has indicated that young people are under considerable social pressure to take up smoking. This study has therefore sought to explore and better understand the mechanisms through which peer-related social factors operate to encourage young people to smoke. Individual qualitative interviews were held with adolescent children aged 11-12 years (N = 102) within youth clubs based in economically deprived areas of Northern Ireland, and then followed up on two occasions during the subsequent 3 years (N = 51/39). The data implied that, although peers influence smoking uptake, this seldom happens through direct persuasion, but rather as the result of the young person striving to conform to the normative behaviour of the peer group with which they identify. The findings are consistent with social identity theory and self-categorization theory in that for both smoking and nonsmoking 14-year-olds smoking activity appears to provide a means through which to define social groups, to accentuate similarity within groups and differences between groups. In-group favouritism was expressed in the sharing of cigarettes within the in-group and in the negative stereotyping of out-group members. There was some evidence that group affiliation may be negotiated differently for boys and girls. These findings imply that successful intervention needs to reconsider the normative processes that encourage young people to smoke.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Social-information-processing factors in reactive and proactive aggression in children's peer groups.

We examined social-information-processing mechanisms (e.g., hostile attributional biases and intention-cue detection deficits) in chronic reactive and proactive aggressive behavior in children's peer groups. In Study 1, a teacher-rating instrument was developed to assess these behaviors in elementary school children (N = 259). Reactive and proactive scales were found to be internally consistent, and factor analyses partially supported convergent and discriminant validities. In Study 2, behavioral correlates of these forms of aggression were examined through assessments by peers (N = 339). Both types of aggression related to social rejection, but only proactively aggressive boys were also viewed as leaders and as having a sense of humor. In Study 3, we hypothesized that reactive aggression (but not proactive aggression) would occur as a function of hostile attributional biases and intention-cue detection deficits. Four groups of socially rejected boys (reactive aggressive, proactive aggressive, reactive-proactive aggressive, and nonaggressive) and a group of average boys were presented with a series of hypothetical videorecorded vignettes depicting provocations by peers and were asked to interpret the intentions of the provocateur (N = 117). Only the two reactive-aggressive groups displayed biases and deficits in interpretations. In Study 4, attributional biases and deficits were found to be positively correlated with the rate of reactive aggression (but not proactive aggression) displayed in free play with peers (N = 127). These studies supported the hypothesis that attributional biases and deficits are related to reactive aggression but not to proactive aggression.

Aggression↗