Psychological Correlates, Consequences of Late Childhood Friendship Dissolution

心理相关性，童年晚期友谊破裂的后果

基本信息

批准号：
8189995
负责人：
Julie Wojslawowicz Bowker
金额：
$ 7.44万
依托单位：
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2011
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2011-08-01 至 2013-07-10
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8189995
关键词：
Address Adopted Aggressive behavior Alloys Anger Area Behavior Behavioral Buffaloes Characteristics Child Childhood Cognition Cognitive Conceptions Data Depressed mood Development Disease susceptibility Distress Emotional Emotions Friends Friendships Goals Health Impact evaluation Individual Individual Differences Knowledge Literature Loneliness Mental Depression Mental Health New York Only Child Outcome Patient Self-Report Perception Personal Satisfaction Play Problem behavior Psychological Stress Psychological adjustment Questionnaires Reporting Research Research Personnel Risk Risk Factors Role Rosa Schools Social Development Stress Thinking Time Victimization Withdrawal behavioral health depressive symptoms design developmental psychology early adolescence experience girls improved information processing intimate behavior longitudinal design middle school peer peer victimization psychologic psychological distress psychological outcomes psychosocial psychosocial adjustment response self esteem sex sixth grade social suburb theories therapy design

项目摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this project is to understand the impact of different types of best friendship dissolution on children's psychological well-being. While it is well-established that consistent friendship involvement promotes emotional health and psychosocial adjustment, little is known about the impact of changes in children's friendship involvement, such as when children's friendships are dissolved or disrupted. If estimates are correct, nearly half of all friendships are disrupted over the course of one school year during late childhood. Recent findings indicate that children who lose friendships are at increased risk for psychological distress, and that children who lose friendships and are not able to replace them experience significantly greater victimization and loneliness. Thus, friendship dissolutions represent common yet understudied risk factors that may pose significant dangers for many children. Accordingly, the first aim of this project is to examine the extent to which different types of best friendship dissolution occur in late childhood. Two different types of dissolution may be: (1) complete dissolution, where children no longer relate as friends at all, and (2) "downgrade" dissolutions, where children continue to share a friendship but are no longer best friends. The second specific aim is to assess the relations between friendship dissolution and children's psychological health. Specifically, the project will evaluate the associations between two different types of best friendship dissolution and self-reports of psychosocial distress (e.g., loneliness, depression) and internalizing and externalizing emotions (sadness and anger). 300 children (150 girls) from middle-schools in the suburban Buffalo, New York area will complete questionnaires in their classrooms at three time points throughout the 6th grade year and one time point after they transition into the 7th grade. This project will employ a four time-point longitudinal design to permit evaluation of the impact of short-term friendship dissolution (e.g., when a friendship dissolves but is followed by friendship replacement), and repeated/long-term friendship dissolution (e.g., when a friendship dissolves and is replaced, but the latter friendship also dissolves). Questionnaire data will also assess the ways in which children evaluate or think about friendship dissolution. Analyzing children's cognitions may be useful in understanding individual differences in the psychological concomitants of dissolution. Throughout the study, a special emphasis will be placed on individual child characteristics, such as sex and behavioral profile (e.g., aggressive), which may make children more vulnerable to dissolution and associated negative consequences. The long-term goal of this project is to contribute to the advancement of knowledge about peer difficulties at the dyadic level and their relation to psychological well-being. Applications of this project might include educating school and childcare professionals about the warning signs, risks, and adverse mental health and adjustment consequences of friendship dissolution and disturbance, and improving interventions designed to address psychosocial maladjustment and peer relationship difficulties. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Recent research findings indicate that children who are unable to replace lost best friendships are at significantly greater risk for behavioral problems and peer difficulties. Little is known about the psychological health outcomes of best friendship dissolution during late childhood, but recent evidence suggests that best friendship loss may represent a relatively unknown yet significant precipitator of stress and psychological ill health in late childhood. Thus, the overarching goal of this study is to determine when and why children lose best friendships, and whether individual child characteristics (e.g., aggressive behavioral profile) and/or friendship replacement might modify the concurrent and longitudinal psychological concomitants of best friendship loss.

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的目的是了解不同类型的最佳友谊破裂对儿童心理健康的影响。虽然众所周知，持续的友谊参与可以促进情绪健康和社会心理调整，但人们对儿童友谊参与变化的影响知之甚少，例如当儿童的友谊解体或破坏时。如果估计正确的话，近一半的友谊会在童年晚期的一个学年中被破坏。最近的研究结果表明，失去友谊的孩子遭受心理困扰的风险更大，而失去友谊且无法取代友谊的孩子会经历更大的受害和孤独感。因此，友谊破裂是常见但尚未得到充分研究的风险因素，可能对许多儿童构成重大危险。因此，该项目的首要目标是研究不同类型的最佳友谊破裂在童年晚期发生的程度。两种不同类型的解散可能是：（1）完全解散，孩子们不再像朋友一样交往；（2）“降级”解散，孩子们继续分享友谊，但不再是最好的朋友。第二个具体目标是评估友谊破裂与儿童心理健康之间的关系。具体来说，该项目将评估两种不同类型的最佳友谊解除与社会心理困扰（例如孤独、抑郁）以及内化和外化情绪（悲伤和愤怒）的自我报告之间的关联。来自纽约州布法罗郊区中学的 300 名儿童（150 名女生）将在六年级的三个时间点和升入七年级后的一个时间点在教室里完成调查问卷。该项目将采用四个时间点的纵向设计，以评估短期友谊解散（例如，当友谊解散但随后又替换友谊时）和重复/长期友谊解散（例如，当友谊消失并被取代，但后者的友谊也消失了）。问卷数据还将评估儿童评估或思考友谊破裂的方式。分析儿童的认知可能有助于理解溶解的心理伴随物的个体差异。在整个研究过程中，将特别强调儿童的个体特征，例如性别和行为特征（例如，攻击性），这可能使儿童更容易受到溶解和相关负面后果的影响。该项目的长期目标是促进对二元层面的同伴困难及其与心理健康的关系的了解。该项目的应用可能包括对学校和儿童保育专业人员进行有关友谊解体和干扰的警告信号、风险、不良心理健康和调整后果的教育，以及改进旨在解决心理社会失调和同伴关系困难的干预措施。公共健康相关性：最近的研究结果表明，无法弥补失去的最好友谊的孩子出现行为问题和同伴困难的风险明显更大。人们对童年晚期最佳友谊解体对心理健康的影响知之甚少，但最近的证据表明，最佳友谊的丧失可能是童年晚期压力和心理健康不良的一个相对未知但重要的促因。因此，本研究的首要目标是确定儿童何时以及为何失去最好的友谊，以及儿童个体特征（例如，攻击性行为特征）和/或友谊替代是否可能改变最佳友谊丧失的同时和纵向心理伴随物。