The relation of attachment security to adolescents' paternal and peer relationships, depression, and externalizing behavior

The relation of attachment security to multiple domains of psychosocial functioning was examined in a community sample of 167 early adolescents. Security of attachment organization, assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview, was linked to success in establishing autonomy while maintaining a sense of relatedness both with fathers and with peers, even after accounting for predictions from qualities of the mother-teen relationship. Growth curve analyses revealed links of insecurity to increasing patterns of externalizing behavior and higher and stable patterns of depressive symptoms across adolescence. Implications for a developing theory of the connections of the attachment system to multiple domains of functioning in adolescence are discussed.     

The role of peer relationships in the development of early school-age externalizing problems

This study investigated the role of peer rejection and best friend's externalizing behavior in the development of externalizing behavior in 740 children followed annually from kindergarten (mean age=6.2, SD=0.46) to 3rd grade. Consistently across time, children's externalizing problems predicted peer rejection. Peer rejection, in turn, added to the prediction of externalizing problems above and beyond prior levels of problem behavior. Having a best friend with externalizing problems did not add to the prediction of children's externalizing problems. All findings were similar for boys and girls. These results suggest that in early elementary school peer rejection, but not yet best friend's behavioral characteristics, has an additive effect on children's externalizing problem development.     

Family adversity,positive peer relationships,and children's externalizing behavior: a longitudinal perspective on risk and resilience

Peer acceptance and friendships were examined as moderators in the link between family adversity and child externalizing behavioral problems. Data on family adversity (i.e., ecological disadvantage, violent marital conflict, and harsh discipline) and child temperament and social information processing were collected during home visits from 585 families with 5-year-old children. Children's peer acceptance, friendship, and friends' aggressiveness were assessed with sociometric methods in kindergarten and grade 1. Teachers provided ratings of children's externalizing behavior problems in grade 2. Peer acceptance served as a moderator for all three measures of family adversity, and friendship served as a moderator for harsh discipline. Examination of regression slopes indicated that family adversity was not significantly associated with child externalizing behavior at high levels of positive peer relationships. These moderating effects generally were not qualified by child gender, ethnicity, or friends' aggressiveness, nor were they accounted for by child temperament or social information-processing patterns. The need for process-oriented studies of risk and protective factors is stressed.     

Children's literature and activities promoting social cognition of peer relationships in preschoolers

This study investigated the effects of children's literature supported by activities focusing on preschoolers' social cognition of peer relationships. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used with 22 children in the experimental group and 22 in the comparison group. In the experimental group, 15 stories with peer interaction concepts embedded in them were read, discussed, and followed by activities that further reinforced these concepts. This intervention was conducted for 1 academic year. The children in the comparison group were read stories and were involved in activities on themes other than peer relationships. An analysis of covariance determined that the children in the experimental group had significantly higher scores on social cognition of peer relationships, as measured by the Social Knowledge Interview. Recommendations for teachers to replicate these findings and the overall implications of this study are examined.     

Differential susceptibility to adolescent externalizing trajectories: examining the interplay between CHRM2 and peer group antisocial behavior

The present study characterized prototypical patterns of development in self-reported externalizing behavior, between 12 and 22 years of age, within a community sample of 452 genotyped individuals. A Caucasian subset (n = 378) was then examined to determine whether their probabilities of displaying discrete trajectories were differentially associated with CHRM2, a gene implicated in self-regulatory processes across a range of externalizing behaviors, and if affiliating with antisocial peers moderated these associations. Findings indicate that relative to a normative "lower risk" externalizing trajectory, likelihood of membership in two "higher risk" trajectories increased with each additional copy of the minor allelic variant at CHRM2, and that this association was exacerbated among those exposed to higher levels of peer group antisocial behavior.     

Trajectories of peer victimization and perceptions of the self and schoolmates: precursors to internalizing and externalizing problems

Evidence indicates that peer victimization is predictive of later maladjustment, but the mechanisms by which harassment impairs development have yet to be identified. The objectives of this study were (a) to discern normative trends in peer victimization experiences and self- and peer perceptions during preadolescence and (b) to investigate associations between individual differences in these trajectories and changes in psychosocial adjustment. A sample of 381 children (196 girls; 185 boys) was followed longitudinally between the ages of 9 and 11 years. Latent growth curve analyses revealed that, although children's self-appraisals became increasingly positive during preadolescence, their appraisals of peers became more negative. Moreover, analyses supported the contention that self- and peer beliefs act as mechanisms through which victimization is related to psychological dysfunction.     

The relations of regulation and emotionality to children's externalizing and internalizing problem behavior

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation of different types of negative emotion and regulation and control to 55- to 97-month-olds' internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. Parents and teachers provided information on children's (N = 214) adjustment, dispositional regulation and control, and emotion, and children's regulation was observed during several behavioral tasks. Internalizing was defined in two ways: as social withdrawal (to avoid overlap of items with measures of emotionality) or, more broadly, as anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic complaints. In general, children with externalizing problems, compared with children with internalizing problems and nondisordered children, were more prone to anger, impulsivity, and low regulation. Children with internalizing symptoms were prone to sadness, low attentional regulation, and low impulsivity. Relations between internalizing problems and emotionality were more frequent when the entire internalizing scale was used. Findings suggest that emotion and regulation are associated with adjustment in systematic ways and that there is an important difference between effortful control and less voluntary modes of control.     

Beyond breadth: the contributions of vocabulary depth to reading comprehension among skilled readers

This study investigated the relationships among vocabulary breadth, vocabulary depth, reading comprehension, and reading rate among college‐aged students. While the relationships of some of these variables have been explored in previous research, the current study's focus on the role of vocabulary depth on the literacy measures within a sample of skilled readers is new and produced several interesting findings. First, consistent with the hypotheses, both vocabulary breadth and depth were significantly correlated with reading comprehension and reading rate. Second, while both types of vocabulary knowledge explained unique variance in reading comprehension, only vocabulary breadth explained unique variance in reading rate. Finally, although vocabulary breadth was significantly correlated with both of the vocabulary depth measures, the two depth measures were not significantly correlated with each other. This work implies that a strong depth of vocabulary affects reading comprehension, in addition to the well‐established relationship between vocabulary breadth and comprehension.     

Children''s reactions to cooperative group work: a strategy for enhancing peer relationships among bullies, victims and bystanders

This investigation increases our understanding of the interpersonal interactions that take place during co-operative group work (CGW) among children nominated by their peers as bullies, victims and bystanders. Using the method of Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR), children were given the opportunity to explore their own and others' feelings and actions during video replays of co-operative group work at two time points over an eight-month period, and to share their emotional responses with other members of the group. The study indicated that CGW had an impact on the expression of some emotions. At Time 1, bystanders expressed more enjoyment of CGW than either bullies or victims; at Time 2, these differences had disappeared. However, the tendency of victims to deny their feelings in comparison to bullies and bystanders remained. The implications for educational practice are discussed.     

The timing of middle-childhood peer rejection and friendship: linking early behavior to early-adolescent adjustment

This study used a sample of 551 children surveyed yearly from ages 6 to 13 to examine the longitudinal associations among early behavior, middle-childhood peer rejection and friendedness, and early-adolescent depressive symptoms, loneliness, and delinquency. The study tested a sequential mediation hypothesis in which (a) behavior problems in the early school years are associated with middle-childhood peer rejection and (b) rejection, in turn, leads to lower friendedness and subsequently higher adolescent internalizing--but not externalizing--problems. Results supported this sequential mediation model for internalizing outcomes and revealed an additional path from early disruptiveness to loneliness via peer rejection alone. No evidence of sequential mediation was observed for delinquency.     

Early predictors of school engagement: Exploring the role of peer relationships

School engagement is an important theoretical and practical cornerstone to the promotion of school completion. The current study explores the influences of childhood peer relationships in the third grade predicting school engagement at Grade 5. Participants are among the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (Research Triangle Institute, 2002). Given the importance of evaluating school engagement as a complex developmental process, longitudinal and multi‐informant data were used to account for various child characteristics as well as relationships with parents that may affect school engagement. Results indicate that peer friendship quality, support from friends, and aggressive behavior toward peers all uniquely relate to school engagement. Implications for intervention are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Longitudinal associations among youth depressive symptoms, peer victimization, and low peer acceptance: an interpersonal process perspective

A longitudinal investigation was conducted to explicate the network of associations between depressive symptoms and peer difficulties among 486 fourth through sixth graders (M = 9.93 years). Parent and teacher reports of depressive symptoms; peer, self, and teacher reports of victimization; and peer reports of peer acceptance were obtained. A systematic examination of nested structural equation models provided support for a symptoms-driven model whereby depressive symptoms contributed to peer difficulties; no evidence was found for interpersonal risk or transactional models. Analyses further revealed that victimization mediated the association between prior depressive symptoms and subsequent peer acceptance. Results extend knowledge about the temporal ordering of depressive symptoms and peer difficulties and elucidate one process through which depressive symptoms disrupt peer relationships.     

The peer relationships of primary school pupils with poor attendance records

The research study presented in this article was conducted because of the surprising paucity of research findings on the effect of significant absence from primary school on peer relationships. Participants in the study were Year 6 pupils, 140 of whom had attendance records of 80% or less in both Years 2 and 6. Of the 140, 133 were matched with those with better attendance records in the same class, of the same gender and born in the same season of the year. As revealed by sociometry conducted in 89 classes, the poor attenders were found to make and to receive fewer friendship choices than those with better attendance records. The question as to whether poor attendance is a result or a cause of having fewer friends is discussed and consideration is given to intervention issues.     

Teacher power and children's loneliness: Moderating effects of teacher‐child relationships and peer relationships

Teacher‐child relationships and peer relationships are important predictors of children's loneliness. However, few studies have examined the potential and adverse relationship between teacher power and children's loneliness. Thus, we explicitly explored whether teacher power is related to children's loneliness and examined the potential moderating roles of interpersonal relationships (i.e., teacher‐child relationships and peer relationships) in 888 Chinese children. Moreover, this study measured teacher power with children's figure drawings. The results showed that teacher power was significantly and positively related to children's loneliness, and both teacher‐child relationships and peer relationships moderated the link between the two variables. Specifically, the adverse correlation between teacher power and children's loneliness was not significant among children with high‐quality teacher‐child relationships. Similarly, the negative effect of teacher power on children's loneliness was not found among children with a high level of peer relationships. Therefore, our results confirmed that the adverse relationship between teacher power and children's loneliness, and the protective roles of high quality of teacher‐child relationships and high levels of peer relationships in this relationship. Potential implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Parent-child and teacher-child relationships in Chinese preschoolers: The moderating role of preschool experiences and the mediating role of social competence

Based on two samples of Chinese preschoolers (Study 1: N = 443; Study 2: N = 118) and their parents and teachers, the present research examined the associations between parent-child and teacher-child relationships, and how the associations were moderated by children's preschool experiences and mediated by their social competence. Using a cross-sectional design, Study 1 showed that children's years of preschool experiences moderated the associations between parent-child and teacher-child relationships. Both father-child and mother-child relationships were associated significantly with teacher-child relationships for the first-year preschoolers, and these associations were mediated fully by children's social competence. For the second- or third-year preschoolers, however, neither father-child nor mother-child relationships correlated significantly with teacher-child relationships. Using a longitudinal design, Study 2 also showed the moderating role of children's preschool experiences in the associations between parent-child and teacher-child relationships. Relationships with mothers were associated significantly with relationships with teachers at 3 months after the children's preschool entrance and, again, this association was mediated fully by children's social competence. In contrast, neither mother-child nor father-child relationships correlated significantly with teacher-child relationships at the end of the first or second preschool year.     

Fitting in and feeling good: the relationships among peer alignment,instructor connectedness,and self-efficacy in undergraduate satisfaction with engineering

This study examined the relationships among peer alignment (the feeling that one is similar in important ways to one's engineering peers), instructor connectedness (the sense that one knows and looks up to academic staff/faculty members in the department), self-efficacy for engineering class work (confidence in one's ability to successfully complete engineering class work), and engineering students' satisfaction with the major. A total of 135 sophomore (second-year university students) and junior (third-year students) engineering students were surveyed to measure these three variables. A multiple regression analysis showed that self-efficacy, peer alignment, and instructor connectedness predicted student satisfaction with the major, and that self-efficacy acted as a mediator between both peer alignment and instructor connectedness on the one hand, and satisfaction on the other. The authors offer suggestions for practice based on the results.     

From seggiolini to discussione: the generation and extension of peer culture among Italian preschool children

In this paper the origins and development of peer culture are charted through the identification and analysis of children's peer routines in the Italian asilo nido and scuola matema. In the asilo nido the children produced several primarily nonverbal play routines which had identifiable participant structures and were produced consistently over the course of the school year. In the scuola matema the children produced a variety of both verbal and nonverbal routines. The authors give a detailed analysis of one routine, the children's construction and participation in verbal debate or discussione. They then compare features of the routines in the asilo nido and scuola matema in an attempt to capture the origins and development of peer culture in the Italian preschool educational system.     

Gender differences in developmental links among antisocial behavior, friends' antisocial behavior, and peer rejection in childhood: results from two cultures

This study addressed gender differences in the developmental links among antisocial behavior, friends' antisocial behavior, and peer rejection. High and increasing, moderate, and low antisocial developmental trajectories were identified among 289 Dutch children, ages 7 to 10, and 445 French-Canadian children, ages 9 to 12. Only boys followed the high trajectory. These boys had more deviant friends and were more often rejected than other children. A minority of girls followed the moderate antisocial behavior trajectory. These girls had fewer deviant friends than moderate antisocial boys, but moderate antisocial boys and girls were equally likely to be rejected. The influence of friends and poor peer relations plays a crucial but different role in the development of antisocial behavior among boys and girls.     

Use of an audience response system during peer teaching among physical therapy students in human gross anatomy: Perceptions of peer teachers and students

An audience response system (ARS) has become popular among educators in medicine and the health professions because of the system's ability to engage listeners during a lecture presentation. No one has described the usefulness of ARS technology during planned nonlecture peer teaching sessions in gross anatomy instruction for health professionals. The unique feature of each peer teaching session was a nongraded 12–15 item ARS quiz assembled by six second‐year doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students and purposely placed at the beginning of the review session for those first‐year DPT students in attendance. This study used a ten‐item questionnaire and a five‐point Likert scale in addition to three open ended questions to survey perceptions of both first‐year and second‐year DPT students about the usefulness of ARS technology implemented during weekly interactive peer teaching sessions during a semester course in Anatomy for Physical Therapists. First‐year students overwhelmingly acknowledged the ARS system permitted each student to self‐assess his/her preparedness for a quiz or examination and compare his/her performance with that of classmates. Peer teachers recognized an ARS quiz provided them an opportunity to: (1) estimate first‐year students' level of understanding of anatomical concepts; and (2) effectively prepare first‐year students for their weekly quizzes and future examinations. On the basis of the mutual benefits derived by both students/tutees and teachers/tutors, physical therapist educators may wish to consider using ARS technology to enhance teaching methods for a class in gross human anatomy. Anat Sci Educ 2: 286–293, 2009. © 2009 American Association of Anatomists.