Daily Fluctuations in Adolescents' Perceived Friend Dominance and Friendship Clout: Associations with Mood and the Moderating Role of Anxiety.

Emerging evidence suggests that whereas occupying high peer status promotes adolescents' well-being, feeling dominated by friends confers psychological costs. However, little is known about day-to-day power dynamics of adolescents' friendships or their acute affective consequences. This 14-day intensive longitudinal study introduced novel daily assessments of friend dominance and friendship clout, examined their associations with mood, and tested anxiety as a moderator. Participants were 195 11th-graders (Mage = 16.48, SDage = 0.35; 66% female). Multilevel models revealed that adolescents experienced worse mood on days they felt dominated by friends and better mood on days they felt powerful and influential among friends. Associations with negative mood were strongest for adolescents higher in anxiety. The findings underscore the dynamic nature of power in adolescents' friendships.

The Power Dynamics of Friendship: Between- and Within- Person Associations among Friend Dominance, Self-Esteem, and Adolescent Internalizing Symptoms.

Although forming close, egalitarian peer relationships is a central developmental task of adolescence, little is known about the psychological consequences of power imbalances in adolescents' friendships. The current study investigated whether there are psychological costs of feeling subordinate to friends by examining longitudinal associations between adolescents' perceived friend dominance and internalizing symptoms. Across one year, five waves of survey data were collected from 388 adolescents (Mage = 14.05, SDage = 0.41; 61% female; 46% White, 19% Black, 17% Asian, 6% Arab, Middle Eastern, North African, 6% Biracial/Multiethnic, 3% Latinx/Hispanic, 1% American Indian/Native American, 1% identifying with another race/ethnicity, <1% not reporting). Multilevel modeling disentangled between- and within-person effects of perceived friend dominance on depressive and anxiety (internalizing) symptoms and tested self-esteem as a mediator. The results indicated that both individual differences and intraindividual fluctuations in perceived friend dominance were associated with internalizing symptoms. At the between-person level, adolescents who perceived their friends as more dominant reported more severe depressive and anxiety symptoms than adolescents who perceived their friends as less dominant. At the within-person level, increases in perceived friend dominance were accompanied by increases in depressive and anxiety symptoms, and these associations were partially explained by changes in self-esteem. The findings advance understanding of power dynamics in adolescents' close friendships and highlight the psychological toll of feeling dominated by friends.

Peer victimization, schooling format, and adolescent internalizing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: Between- and within-person associations across ninth grade.

The current longitudinal study examined how between-person (BP) differences and within-person (WP) fluctuations in adolescents' peer victimization and schooling format across ninth grade related to changes in their internalizing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 388 adolescents (61% female; M age = 14.02) who completed three online surveys, administered 3 months apart, from November 2020 to May 2021. Multilevel modeling revealed BP (time-invariant) and WP (time-varying) effects of peer victimization and school instructional format (i.e., in-person; hybrid; online) on internalizing symptoms while accounting for potentially confounding demographic (e.g., gender) and contextual (e.g., COVID-19 positivity rates) factors. Results indicated that adolescents who experienced higher overall levels of peer victimization across the school year, compared to those who experienced lower victimization, reported more severe internalizing symptoms. Whereas relative WP increases in peer victimization predicted corresponding increases in adolescents' depressive and somatic symptoms regardless of schooling format, WP increases in peer victimization only predicted elevated anxiety during months when students attended fully in-person, but not online, school. Adolescents who spent a greater proportion of their school year attending online school also reported less peer victimization across the year. Findings highlight WP fluctuations in the effects of peer victimization on internalizing and contextual variations depending on schooling format.

Associations between peer experiences and health outcomes among adolescents and young adults with asthma.

OBJECTIVE: Although peer relationships become increasingly important across adolescence and early adulthood, research examining links between peer relationships and the health outcomes of young people with asthma is scarce. Using a large sample of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with asthma, the current study assessed whether positive and negative peer experiences are associated with AYAs' asthma control, asthma self-efficacy, and internalizing symptoms. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a national sample of 440 diverse adolescents and young adults with asthma completed an online survey. Questionnaires assessed general and asthma-specific peer experiences (i.e. peer victimization; peer support; asthma-related peer problems) and health indicators (i.e. asthma control; asthma self-efficacy; internalizing symptoms). Regression analyses were performed to examine associations between peer experiences and health while controlling for participant age, gender, race/ethnicity, and age of asthma diagnosis. RESULTS: Results from separate regression models indicated that adolescents who experienced greater peer victimization, less peer support, and more asthma-related peer problems also reported worse asthma control, lower asthma self-efficacy, and more severe internalizing symptoms. Follow-up exploratory analyses indicated that peer victimization and asthma-related peer problems were the strongest predictors of asthma control and internalizing, whereas peer support and asthma-related peer problems were the strongest predictors of asthma self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores connections between peer relationships and health outcomes among AYAs with asthma. Interventions that leverage peer support and mitigate peer stress may offer a developmentally appropriate approach for mitigating physical and psychological distress among adolescents and young adults with asthma.

Facing ambiguity: Social threat sensitivity mediates the association between peer victimization and adolescent anxiety.

Peer victimization is a developmentally salient stressor that elevates adolescents' risk for anxiety disorders. However, modifiable mechanisms that explain this link and can be targeted via therapeutic interventions remain poorly understood. Drawing from psychobiological models implicating aberrant threat sensitivity in the development and maintenance of psychopathology, the current study investigated sensitivity to peer-related social threats as a mechanism underlying the association between peer victimization and anxiety. A sample of 197 dyads of early adolescents (M age = 12.02; 46% female) and parents/guardians (M age = 41.46; 90% female) completed online surveys assessing peer victimization, sensitivity to potential (i.e., ambiguous) social threats, and anxiety. Controlling for potentially confounding demographic and psychosocial factors, both self- and parent-reported peer victimization were positively associated with adolescent anxiety symptoms. Additionally, there were significant indirect effects from self- and parent-reported peer victimization to anxiety via social threat sensitivity. Supplemental analyses indicated unique effects of covert, but not overt, peer victimization on social threat sensitivity and anxiety. The findings provide initial evidence that peer victimization experiences lower adolescents' threshold for interpreting threats in ambiguous social situations, which contributes to heightened anxiety. These results implicate social threat sensitivity as a potential therapeutic target for interrupting links from peer victimization to psychological distress.

On shaky grounds: Peer victimization predicts friendship instability across the ninth grade school year.

INTRODUCTION: Although prior research has considered how friendship quality or quantity influence peer victimization risk and vice versa, considerably less is known about how friendship instability (i.e., high levels of friend turnover) and peer victimization may be related to each other across time. METHODS: Survey data were collected from 9th grade students (N = 388; Mage = 14.05; 60.60% female; 35.8% male; 1.8% non-binary; 1.9% trans/unsure/something else) across 3-month intervals spanning one school year. Using cross-lagged panel modeling, this study investigated cross-lagged longitudinal associations between friendship instability and peer victimization utilizing three waves of data collected across one academic year. RESULTS: Adolescents experiencing greater peer victimization at the beginning of the school year were more likely to experience friendship instability by the end of the school year. However, friendship instability at the beginning of the school year was unrelated to subsequent peer victimization. CONCLUSION: Peer victimized adolescents are less likely than their nonvictimized peers to maintain stable friendships over time. Findings suggest that adolescents who are victimized by peers after transitioning to high school may have difficulty maintaining friendships.

Effects of daily peer problems on sleep and the severity of pediatric asthma symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: Although psychosocial stressors in the home environment place children at risk for physical health problems, less is known about whether or how peer stressors contribute to health problems in youth. The current study investigated associations between daily peer problems and asthma symptoms among adolescents with asthma. The possible mediating role of nightly sleep disturbance and the moderating role of adolescent mental health were also examined. METHOD: Adolescents (N = 297) with asthma reported on peer problems, nighttime awakenings, sleep quality, and asthma symptoms over 4 days. Youth also self-administered daily peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) assessments, and parents reported on their children's anxious-depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Adolescents encountering more daily peer problems experienced more severe asthma symptoms, but not lower PEFR. Mediation analyses demonstrated that associations between daily peer problems and subjective asthma symptoms were partially explained by more nighttime awakenings and lower sleep quality, even after accounting for potentially confounding demographic factors and adolescents' daily experiences of familial stress. However, these indirect pathways did not vary depending on youth anxious-depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide novel evidence for everyday peer stress as a developmentally relevant health risk factor among adolescents with asthma. Insofar as daily peer problems were associated with elevated asthma symptoms via impaired sleep, psychosocial interventions focusing on the peer context may help mitigate maladaptive health behaviors and asthma morbidity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

LGBTQ+ Youth's Identity Development in the Context of Peer Victimization: A Mixed Methods Investigation.

Research rarely explores LGBTQ+ youth bullying in the context of culture-specific outcomes (e.g., LGBTQ+ identity development) and what can mitigate the impact of peer stressors. This study used a concurrent mixed methods design to explore how experiences of peer victimization predicted LGBTQ+ youth's identity development (i.e., stigma sensitivity, concealment motivation, and difficult process) and whether social support and outness served as protective, moderating factors. The mixed methods approach provides a culture-specific context via qualitative inquiry to inform whether the quantitative findings align with how youth qualitatively discuss their experience of peer victimization, negative outcomes, and social support. Our sample consisted of 349 LGBTQ+ youth 14-17 years old who completed a survey (quantitative sample) and a subset of 39 LGBTQ+ youth who completed a semi-structured interview (qualitative sample). Our quantitative findings indicated that greater overall peer victimization was positively related to LGBIS-revised subscales of stigma sensitivity, concealment motivation, and difficult process, where both outness and social support moderated such relations. Qualitatively, victimized youth also reported stigma sensitivity and concealment motivation while also endorsing how being out and having a support system played a role in their experience of being victimized. These qualitative findings align with our quantitative findings that classmate support mitigated the effects of peer victimization on the difficulty of coming out. Implications for practitioners and researchers are provided.

What happens when romantic couples discuss personal loss? Relational, emotional, and physiological impacts.

Does talking about loss with a romantic partner have salutary personal and relationship effects? Prior evidence reveals the benefits of emotional disclosure in couple relationships, yet disclosure about loss has been overlooked in research on couple communication. Using a novel communication paradigm with young-adult heterosexual romantic partners (N = 114 couples), we investigated emotions, physiological arousal (skin conductance responses [SCR]), and relationship closeness when narrating a personal loss and listening to the partner's loss, and compared these loss discussions to discussions about desired relationship changes. Based on partners' self-reports, narrating loss elicited more vulnerable and, unexpectedly, more antagonistic emotions. Both narrating and listening to loss produced higher self-reported partner closeness, compared to discussing change. In support of the physiological benefits of disclosure, women's SCRs decreased over the discussion when they narrated their own loss. However, both women and men as listeners show a general trend of increasing SCRs over the discussion, suggesting the challenges of being a responsive partner. Moreover, in line with the putative protective effects of partners' biological interdependencies, partner closeness also was higher when both partners showed synchronous decreasing SCR as women narrated their loss. Although limited to young couples in relatively short relationships, these findings reveal some potential benefits of talking about loss in the context of romantic relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Investigating the relation between ethnic-racial identity and classroom engagement among Cherokee adolescents: Cultural socialization as a moderator.

OBJECTIVE: Ethnic-racial identity is an important factor that can promote classroom engagement among ethnic-racial minority adolescents. However, the relationship between ethnic-racial identity and academic engagement remains severely understudied among Native American youth, who report some of the lowest levels of classroom engagement among ethnic-racial minority youth in the United States. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the relation between ethnic-racial identity and classroom engagement among Cherokee youth. Further, we sought to examine the role of parental cultural socialization as a factor that could moderate this association. METHOD: The analytic sample consisted of 211 Cherokee adolescents (M = 12.72, SD = .97; female = 52%). Participants were recruited from Grades 6 to 8 from one tribal (60% or n = 126) and two public (40% or n = 85) middle schools. Adolescents completed survey measures of ethnic-racial centrality, private regard, public regard, parental pride socialization, parental preparation for bias socialization, and classroom engagement. RESULTS: Analyses showed that ethnic-racial centrality and regard were positively associated with classroom engagement. Furthermore, pride socialization enhanced the relation between private regard and engagement. Unexpectedly, preparation for bias mitigated the relation between public regard and engagement. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates an important association between ethnic-racial identity and classroom engagement for Cherokee youth. Furthermore, findings highlight the importance of parental cultural socialization as a potential malleable factor that can enhance or diminish the relation between ethnic-racial identity and classroom engagement for Cherokee adolescents. These results suggest that encouraging parental cultural socialization, particularly pride socialization, may be beneficial in promoting classroom engagement for Cherokee youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Weight enumeration in United States anti-bullying laws: associations with rates and risks of weight-based bullying among sexual and gender minority adolescents.

Weight-based bullying is among the most prevalent forms of peer harassment and carries significant health consequences-particularly among adolescents who identify as a sexual and/or gender minority (SGM). We examined how anti-bullying legislation that includes weight as a protected class (enumeration) contributes to the prevalence of weight-based bullying and its adverse health sequelae among SGM adolescents. We collected data on weight-based bullying and health risk (stress, unhealthy eating behaviors, self-rated health) from the LGBTQ National Teen Survey and linked these to state anti-bullying legislation obtained from the United States (US) Department of Health and Human Services. Weight-based bullying was less frequent, but associated with greater health risk for SGM adolescents in states with, versus without, weight-enumerated anti-bullying laws. Adding weight as a protected class in anti-bullying legislation may be an effective strategy for reducing weight-based bullying, but additional supports are needed to support adolescents who continue to experience weight-based bullying.

"It's Not You, It's Me": Examining the Roles of Romantic Self-Blame and Social Support in Pathways From Peer Victimization to Emerging Adult Depressive Symptoms.

Although experiences of adolescent peer victimization elevate risk for depressive symptoms during emerging adulthood, the mechanisms underlying this pathway are not well-understood. Drawing from attribution theory and models of relational schemas, the current study introduces romantic self-blame as a putative novel mechanism linking adolescent peer victimization to emerging adult depressive symptoms and evaluates perceived social support as a protective factor. A diverse sample of 350 emerging adults completed self-report measures of retrospective peer victimization, romantic characterological and behavioral self-blaming attributions, social support, and depressive symptoms. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesized two-factor structure of romantic self-blame. Additionally, conditional process models demonstrated that elevated romantic characterological-but not behavioral-self-blame partially explained the association between retrospective peer victimization and current depressive symptoms, particularly among those perceiving low social support. Results suggest that earlier peer victimization may alter emerging adults' romantic appraisals in ways that increase distress, particularly in the absence of supportive interpersonal relationships.

Parental stress and adolescent bullying perpetration and victimization: The mediating role of adolescent anxiety and family resilience.

Although past research suggests that parental stress can heighten adolescents' risk for bullying perpetration and victimization, the mechanisms underlying such a potential link and that may involve child psychological wellbeing remain unclear. Parental stress may heighten adolescents' risk for bullying involvement by elevating adolescents' anxiety and interfering with family functioning. Therefore, the current study investigated the role of adolescent anxiety and family resilience as mediators linking parental stress with adolescent bullying involvement. Sex differences in these associations were also explored. Analyses relied on data collected from 11,244 parents who participated in the 2019 National Survey of Children's Health. Parents completed surveys assessing parental stress, adolescent anxiety, family resilience, and adolescents' involvement in bullying perpetration as well as victimization. Results from structural equation models indicated that a higher level of parental stress was related to greater bullying perpetration and victimization among both male and female adolescents. Moreover, parental stress was indirectly related to bullying victimization via elevated adolescent anxiety for both girls and boys, whereas parental stress was indirectly related to bullying perpetration via reduced family resilience for boys but not girls. The findings highlight connections between adolescents' family and peer contexts and implicate adolescent anxiety and family resilience as putative mechanisms linking parental stress and bullying involvement.

Romantic partner presence and physiological responses in daily life: Attachment style as a moderator.

The present study investigated whether the presence of a romantic partner in daily life is associated with attenuated sympathetic nervous system responses. Additionally, romantic attachment style was tested as a moderator. For one day, 106 heterosexual young adult dating couples wore ambulatory sensors that monitored electrodermal activity (EDA) - an index of sympathetic arousal. Couples reported whether they were together or apart for every hour of the data collection day. Men and women exhibited lower EDA during hours in which their partner was present compared to hours in which they were absent. Additionally, romantic attachment style moderated this association; those who had low anxious attachment showed a stronger attenuating effect of partner presence compared to those with higher anxious attachment. Similarly, those who had low avoidant attachment showed heightened effects of partner presence compared to those with higher avoidant attachment. Romantic partner presence may facilitate everyday health-promoting physiological processes.

Effects of Peer Victimization on Child and Adolescent Physical Health.

Peer victimization is recognized as a pressing public health issue, affecting ∼1 in 5 youth. Although extensive research demonstrates the negative effects of peer victimization on youth mental health, considerably less is known about if and how peer victimization adversely impacts physical health. Focusing on studies published in the past 5 years, this state-of-the-art review synthesizes recent research examining the relationship between peer victimization and physical health outcomes among children and adolescents. In addition to reviewing evidence for associations between peer victimization and global subjective health indices (eg, somatic symptoms), I highlight several biological sequelae of victimization (eg, cortisol dysregulation, inflammation) that may increase long-term risk for illness and disease. I conclude by considering strengths and limitations of existing work and suggesting several key directions for future research. I also discuss implications for practitioners and the role primary care providers can play in promoting health among peer victimized youth.

School and Cybervictimization Across High School: Normative Developmental Trajectories and Bidirectional Links with Loneliness.

The current study examines normative developmental trajectories of school and cybervictimization across 3 years of high school and tests whether school and cybervictimization experiences predict increases in loneliness at school or whether loneliness at school increases the risk of victimization. Gender differences are also explored. Data were drawn from a longitudinal sample of 4,339 ethnically diverse U.S. adolescents (Mage  = 15.02) who completed surveys in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. Whereas school victimization decreased, cybervictimization increased across high school. School-based victimization and loneliness were bidirectionally related across time (controlling for cybervictimization), but cybervictimization and loneliness were not related (controlling for school victimization). The findings provide a nuanced account of the associations between school and cybervictimization with feelings of isolation at school.

A Matter of the Heart: Daytime Relationship Functioning and Overnight Heart Rate in Young Dating Couples.

BACKGROUND: Although past longitudinal research demonstrates that romantic partners affect one another's health outcomes, considerably less is known about how romantic experiences "get under the skin" in everyday life. PURPOSE: The current study investigated whether young couples' naturally occurring feelings of closeness to and annoyance with each other during waking hours were associated with their overnight cardiovascular activity. METHODS: Participants were 63 heterosexual young adult dating couples (Mage = 23.07). Using ecological momentary assessments, couples reported their hourly feelings of closeness to and annoyance with their partners across 1 day; subsequent overnight heart rate was captured through wearable electrocardiogram biosensors. Actor-partner interdependence models tested whether individuals' overnight heart rate varied as a function of (a) their own daytime feelings of closeness and annoyance (actor effects) and (b) their partner's daytime feelings of closeness and annoyance (partner effects) while controlling for daytime heart rate. RESULTS: Although young adults' feelings of romantic closeness and annoyance were unrelated to their own overnight heart rate (i.e., no actor effects), gender-specific partner effects emerged. Young men's nocturnal heart rate was uniquely predicted by their female partner's daytime relationship feelings. When women felt closer to their partners during the day, men exhibited lower overnight heart rate. When women felt more annoyed with their partners during the day, men exhibited heightened overnight heart rate. CONCLUSIONS: The findings illustrate gender-specific links between couple functioning and physiological arousal in the everyday lives of young dating couples, implicating physiological sensitivity to partner experiences as one potential pathway through which relationships affect health.

The Interplay of Friends and Parents in Adolescents' Daily Lives: Towards A Dynamic View of Social Support.

This daily diary study investigated the interplay of perceived friend and parent support in adolescents' everyday lives. Specifically, we tested the interactive effects of friend and parent support on adolescent well-being at both the intra- and inter-individual level. A diverse sample of 119 adolescents (M age=15.36) completed diary reports for two weeks. Multivariate multilevel models demonstrated that on days adolescents felt more supported by their friends or parents, they experienced increases in their happiness and social connectedness. Additionally, parent support emerged as a protective factor for youth lacking friend support, although patterns differed at the intra- versus inter-individual level. The findings underscore the dynamic nature of social support in adolescents' daily lives and highlight the interactive roles of friends and parents in promoting youth well-being.

Peer rejection as a precursor of romantic dysfunction in adolescence: Can friendships protect?

INTRODUCTION: Using a prospective longitudinal design across six years, the current study investigated whether adolescents' experiences of peer rejection across middle school increased their risk of maladaptive (aggressive and unsupportive) behaviors in high school romantic relationships. Additionally, friendship quality following the transition to high school was examined as a potential protective factor. METHODS: The sample consisted of 1,987 ethnically diverse youth (54% female; Mage = 17.10) who were romantically involved at eleventh grade. Peer rejection (based on peer nominations) was assessed at four time points across three years in middle school. Students reported on their friendship quality in ninth grade and their aggressive (e.g., shouting; hitting) and supportive (e.g., listening; helping) behaviors towards a romantic partner in eleventh grade. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that adolescents who were increasingly rejected by peers during middle school were more likely to behave aggressively towards their romantic partners in high school. Friendship quality at the beginning of high school moderated prospective links from rejection to support, such that escalating middle school peer rejection predicted less supportive romantic behaviors only among youth with low-quality friendships at ninth grade. These patterns were documented over and above the effects of sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and students' aggressive behavior at the beginning of middle school. CONCLUSIONS: Together, the findings suggest that 1) increasing peer rejection during middle school may spiral into later romantic relationship dysfunction and 2) supportive friendships across a critical school transition can interrupt links between peer and romantic problems.