Same-Sex Versus Other-Sex Best Friendship in Early Adolescence: Longitudinal Predictors of Antisocial Behavior Throughout Adolescence

• NCJ Number: 224233
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 37 Issue: 9 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 1059-1070
• Author(s): Cara Lee Arndorfer; Elizabeth A. Stormshak
• Date Published: October 2008
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): DA 07031
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institutes of Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the relationship between having other-sex best friends compared with having same-sex best friends in terms of differences in antisocial behavior throughout early adolescence.

Abstract

The study findings support the theory that same-sex and other-sex friendships during adolescence influence development outcomes differently for boys and girls. The study found that having other-sex best friends was related to concurrent antisocial behavior for both boys and girls in the sixth grade, but not in the eighth grade. In eighth grade, there was an interaction between sex (boys versus girls) and sex of best friend. Having other-sex best friends in eighth grade was related to increased antisocial behavior for girls; whereas, having same-sex-only best friends was related to increased antisocial behavior for boys. The study also found that having other-sex versus same-sex-only best friends predicted only approximate outcomes of antisocial behavior from sixth to seventh grade; however, having other-sex best friends in eighth grade predicted future antisocial behavior in the 11th grade, particularly for girls. These findings expand previous research which has found that other-sex relationships increase in frequency and change throughout adolescence in different ways for boys than for girls. The current findings suggest a critical developmental period in early adolescence for an increase in the number of other-sex best friendships, as well as the influence these new peers may have on developmental outcomes. Study participants were 998 ethnically diverse young adolescents enrolled in 3 public middle schools in a Pacific Northwest metropolitan area. The sample consisted of 2 cohorts first recruited and assessed in the sixth grade: cohort 1 (n=676) recruited during the 1996-97 school year and cohort 2 (n=323) recruited during the 1998-99 school year. Measurements included a demographic questionnaire, sociometric peer nomination, and self-report of antisocial behavior (e.g., stealing, lying, spending time with gang members). 2 tables, 5 figures, and 52 references