The lasting influence of teen friendships

Friendships formed during middle school actually have a lasting influence on an individual’s future, according to a study published in the journal Child Development.

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The study followed 184 youth from a public school in the southeast, which included teens from both urban and suburban neighborhoods. The researchers from the University of Virginia interviewed the teens’ parents and other adolescents that they identified as their closest friends annually for three years, starting when the participants were around 13. The authors followed up again when they were ages 20 to 23.

What the researchers found is that “the path is straightforward,” or as researcher Joseph Allen, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia explained to TIME Magazine, “It is more like a tightrope walk between trying to connect well with peers on one side and avoiding getting swept up into peer influences toward deviant behavior.”

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The study showed that teens who best resisted peer pressure during junior high were less likely to engage in criminal behavior and face lawsuits. Unfortunately, this ability to resist peer pressure can also be isolating; the same group also had fewer and weaker friendships as adults.

Meanwhile, those who have the strongest interactions as adults were teens who walked a middle ground, remaining open to peer influence, but not allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by the pressure to conform.

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Friendships formed early in life are part of growing up, contrary to what others believe that children shouldn’t have best friends. What parents and educators should take note of is the kind of friendship made during adolescent years.

Students of North Central Texas Academy in Happy Hill Farm are encouraged to form healthy relationships with their peers. Learn more about student life in the academy here.