Social Competencies and Peer
Relationships:
Longitudinal Associations with Peer Group and
Adolescent Aggression
Jill Antonishak, Ph.D.
F. Christy McFarland
Joseph P. Allen, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Collaborators:
Joanna Chango
Amanda Hare
Kathleen B. McElhaney, Ph.D.
Jennifer Haynes
Nell Manning
Jessica Meyer
Erin Miga
Claire Stephenson
Dual processes of similarity to
peers



Similarity to peers likely due to
two processes
 Selection of similar friends
 Influence of peers
Development of aggression and
association with aggressive peers
Potential mediating relationship
of social competencies
Current study



Examine pathways of influence
between social competencies, peer
group characteristics, and
aggression
Consider reciprocal relationships
and peer group and individual
competencies as a dynamic system
Normative sample with a focus on
aggressive behaviors
Participants





184 participants (and three of their
peers)
Equal number of males and females
Assessed annually beginning at age
13 (for four years)
Socio-economically diverse (median
income=$40-60,000)
31% African American; 69%
Caucasian
Measures

Supportive Behavior Task
(Allen et al., 2003)
6-minute videotaped interaction
between adolescent and best friend
 Discussion of adolescent’s problem
 Connection/warmth factor
 Ability to engage with their friend
 Ability to demonstrate they value
and care about their friend

Measures

Aggression

Youth Self-Report (Achenbach &
Edelbrock, 1983)

Aggression subscale (for example—is
mean to others, gets in many fights,
threatens people, etc)
 Teen
report
 Peer report (friends from larger peer
group)
Reciprocal relationships

Latent difference score models
(McArdle &
Hamagami, 2001)



Considers changes within a variable and
the time-ordered relationships between
variables
How is affiliation with aggressive peers
related to teen’s aggression and vice
versa?
Dynamic relationships between one
variable and change in another variable
ey
y1
y2
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Δy2
Δy3
Δy4
Δx2
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σx0,y0
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x1
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x1
x2
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Aggression and affiliation
with aggressive peers
Teen
aggression
ΔTeen
aggression
Aggression
.60**
Affiliation with
aggressive peers
.24t
Affiliation
With
aggressive
peers
ΔAffiliation
with
aggressive
peers
CFI=.93, RMSEA=.06
How do friendship competencies
relate to changes in aggression?
Warmth and adolescent
aggression
Teen
aggression
ΔTeen
aggression
Aggression
.43*
Lack of warmth
and connection
.34*
Lack of
warmth &
connection
ΔLack of
warmth &
connection
CFI=.95, RMSEA=.03
Warmth and teen’s
aggression
Aggressive
peers
ΔAggressive
peers
.29*
Affiliation with
aggressive peers
.37*
Lack of
warmth &
connection
ΔLack of
warmth &
connection
CFI=.94, RMSEA=.03
Lack of warmth
and connection
Pathways
Teen
Aggression
Affiliation
with
aggressive
peers
Pathways
Lack of
warmth &
connection
Teen
Aggression
Affiliation
with
aggressive
peers
Conclusions

Social competencies play an
important role in linking aggression
and affiliation with aggressive peers.




Social information processing (Dodge et al,
2003)
“Deviancy training”
Support for transactional
framework and self-perpetuating
cycle
Point of intervention
For copies of related papers:
www.teenresearch.org
Acknowledgements: We would like to thank the National Institute of Mental
Health for funding awarded to Joseph P. Allen, Principal Investigator, (Grants
#R01-MH44934, and R01-MH58066)