CORRELATION BETWEEN FORGIVENESS AND ADOLESCENCE FRIENDSHIP INTIMACY MODERATED BY GENDER

Friendship intimacy is one of the critical developing aspects of adolescence. Previous research shows that forgiveness has a vital role in the interpersonal relationship. This research aims to find a correlation between forgiveness and adolescent friendship intimacy based on gender. Research’s participant consists of 250 teenagers (125 male and 125 female, M = 16.2, SD = .7, with 15-18 years old age range) in a Pekanbaru school. The sample was collected through convenience sampling. This study used the Friendship Intimacy Scale with α = .82 and Forgiveness Scale, with α = .94. Based on data analysis, a product-moment correlation shows a positive correlation between forgiveness and adolescence friendship intimacy (r = .273, p < .01), which means the higher the level of individual forgiveness is, the higher the friendship intimacy become. The moderator variable analysis shows that gender becomes a relationship moderator variable between forgiveness and adolescence friendship intimacy (p < .01), which means that correlation between forgiveness and friendship intimacy is more substantial on males than females.

Friendship networks and academic motivation: A longitudinal investigation examining selection and influence processes in adolescents

Friends are sometimes similar in their academic motivation. The current study examines the mechanisms underlying similarity by disentangling selection and influence processes in adolescent friendship networks, using longitudinal data. A total of 495 adolescents from an independent school for girls were assessed for their academic motivation (including perceived competence, interest, boredom, autonomous motivation, grit, mindset and value) and social network information, annually, for 3 years. Stochastic actor-based modelling showed both selection and influence effects for perseverance of effort, a measure of grit, meaning that peers nominated friends whose level of perseverance was similar (selection), and also that friends influenced each other, becoming more similar in their perseverance over time (influence). Growth mindset also showed an influence effect. Additionally, a selection effect was found for adolescents’ level of value. These results suggest social dynamics play an important role in effort-related motivation constructs. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Network Autocorrelation of Perceived Physical Activity Skill Competence Among Adolescents at a Summer Care Program: A Pilot Study

Purpose: This study investigates the possible association between adolescent friendship networks and perceived physical activity skill competence in a summer care program. Design: Adolescents participated in researcher-administered surveys at the start (T1) and end (T2) of summer. Setting: Adolescents at a Boys & Girls Club were sampled. Sample: Adolescents (age 8-12) completed researcher-administered surveys at T1 (n = 100; µ age = 9.9 years; 47% male; 55% Black) and T2 (n = 77; µ age = 9.8 years; 51% male; 49% Black). Measures: Perceived skill competence was measured by asking adolescents to rate how good they felt they were at physical activity at the club. Adolescents were also asked to provide names of up to 5 peers whom they hung around with, talked to, and did things with the most while at the club. Analysis: Linear network autocorrelation models were used to determine network effects or clustering of perceived physical activity skill competence within the club. Results: There were significant network effects for adolescent perceived skill competency scores at T1 (β = 0.05, p < 0.01) and T2 (β = 0.05, p = 0.02), indicating adolescent perceived skill competence scores were associated with those of their friends. Conclusions: Practitioners may wish to encourage the use of group or collaborative skill competency improvement activities as well as possibly pairing adolescents with differing skill competencies to foster improvement and possible diffusion of perceived skill competency.

Values in adolescent friendship networks

Values—the motivational goals that define what is important to us—guide our decisions and actions every day. Their importance is established in a long line of research investigating their universality across countries and their evolution from childhood to adulthood. In adolescence, value structures are subject to substantial change, as life becomes increasingly social. Value change has thus far been understood to operate independently within each person. However, being embedded in various social systems, adolescents are constantly subject to social influence from peers. Thus, we introduce a framework investigating the emergence and evolution of value priorities in the dynamic context of friendship networks. Drawing on stochastic actor-oriented network models, we analyze 73 friendship networks of adolescents. Regarding the evolution of values, we find that adolescents’ value systems evolve in a continuous cycle of internal validation through the selection and enactment of goals—thereby experiencing both congruence and conflicts—and external validation through social comparison among their friends. Regarding the evolution of friendship networks, we find that demographics are more salient for the initiation of new friendships, whereas values are more relevant for the maintenance of existing friendships.

Chronic health conditions and adolescent friendship: perspectives from social network analysis

Objective The current study uses methods from social network analysis to examine the relationship between chronic health conditions (CHCs) and adolescent friendships. Particular attention is given to the processes of peer marginalization, peer withdrawal and homophily related to CHCs. Methods Exponential random graph models were used to investigate the extent to which a CHC is associated with patterns in adolescent friendship connections, while controlling for important social network properties and covariates. The study uses cross-sectional data from six small US high schools (n = 461) within the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Results Findings demonstrate no significant differences between adolescents with CHCs and adolescents without CHCs in the number of incoming friendship nominations (peer marginalization) or outgoing friendship nominations (peer withdrawal). In addition, similarity in CHCs (homophily) was not significantly related to friendship between two individuals. Conclusions In sum, the presence of an adolescent CHC was not significantly associated with adolescent social network structure, including peer marginalization, peer withdrawal, and homophily related to CHCs, after controlling for alternative social network processes. Although previous literature suggests that adolescents with CHCs experience negative social consequences, the current findings demonstrate that the social network structure of adolescents with CHCs did not differ significantly from that of their peers without CHCs. Thus, findings from the current study suggest that CHCs are not related to objective reductions in social connections.