Parental Warmth, Friendship Quality, Empathy and Bystander Defending Behavior in Cyberbullying Among Adolescents in China.

Adolescents' bystander defending behavior in cyberbullying contributes to reducing the harm done to cyberbullying victims. This study examined the relationships and underlying mechanisms of parental warmth, friendship quality, empathy and bystander defending behavior in cyberbullying among 848 Chinese adolescents (43.986% girls, mean age = 14.960 years old [SD = 1.398]). The results showed that parental warmth, friendship quality and empathy were all positively correlated with bystander defending behavior in cyberbullying among adolescents. Both friendship quality and empathy played a mediating role between parental warmth and bystander defending behavior in cyberbullying, indicating that parental warmth was associated with increased bystander defending behavior through higher levels of friendship quality and empathy, respectively. Friendship quality and empathy also played a chain mediating role between these two, indicating that parental warmth was linked to increased bystander defending behavior by first associating with higher level of friendship quality and subsequently with greater empathy. These results suggest that high degrees of parental warmth, friendship quality and empathy may all increase the likelihood of bystander defending behavior in cyberbullying among adolescents. This study provides practical implications for improving adolescent bystander defending behavior in cyberbullying.

Investigating the effects of prenatal testosterone exposure (via 2D:4D) and socio-relational factors on 3-6-year-old preschoolers' prosocial choices.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Prosocial behavior such as helping and sharing develops early in childhood. Yet very few studies have investigated physiological and relational factors shaping prosociality among children. Here, we systematically examined the role of prenatal androgen exposure alongside prestige, dominance, and friendship in 3-6-year-old preschoolers' prosocial sharing with familiar peers. METHODS: We tested a sample of 65 children, predominately of European descent. We used a cost-free direct-interaction prosocial choice task to assess children's prosocial tendencies. Second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) was used as a retrospective biomarker for prenatal androgen exposure. Prestige was measured through behavioral observations of interaction partners and visual regard, dominance through teacher questionnaires, and friendship via peer preference assessments. RESULTS: We found that children acted prosocially when tested with a familiar peer. Children with lower 2D:4D (higher prenatal androgen exposure) behaved more prosocially. Further, there were marginal associations between the donors' prosocial tendencies and their visual regard as a proxy of their prestige (positive effect) and their teacher-rated dominance relative to the recipient (negative effect). Neither age, sex, nor friendship influenced prosocial choices. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal androgen exposure, approximated via 2D:4D, was associated with prosocial behavior. In contrast to previous research in older children, higher exposure was related to stronger prosocial tendencies, which corresponds to earlier findings on fairness in adults. Our findings point towards a potential role of sex steroids in the early development of children's social behavior, but they have to be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size of the current study. Nevertheless, they underscore the importance of integrating biological and psychological perspectives, while also highlighting the significance of studying the development of prosocial behavior within peer groups.

Marital Status and Happiness During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: This study examines the long-observed marital advantage in happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic may have altered the marital advantage in happiness due to changes in social integration processes. However, this has not been explored in previous studies. Method: Data were from the COVID-19 substudy of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (N=2622). A series of regressions were estimated to understand marital status differences in pandemic happiness and changes in relationships with non-resident family and friends. Karlson-Holm-Breen mediation analysis was conducted to examine whether relationships with non-resident family and friends explained the marital association with pandemic happiness. Results: From pre-pandemic to pandemic, married respondents experienced a greater increase in unhappiness than unmarried counterparts, narrowing happiness gaps. However, unmarried individuals, including cohabiting, divorced, widowed, and never married individuals, continued to report higher levels of unhappiness during the pandemic than married peers. These differences primarily stemmed from pre-pandemic happiness. After controlling for pre-pandemic happiness, cohabiting, widowed, and never married older adults did not significantly differ from their married counterparts in reporting unhappiness during the pandemic. In contrast, divorced individuals remained consistently more unhappy than married individuals during the pandemic, mainly due to deteriorated relationship quality with non-resident family. Conclusion: During a global crisis, it is crucial for policymakers, healthcare providers, and researchers to develop innovative interventions to promote happiness and healthy aging among all older adults, paying special attention to those who are divorced.

Meta-analytic structural equation modeling for exploring workplace friendship, well-being, and organizational commitment.

BACKGROUND: Workplace friendships, which are informal relationships in the workplace, foster mutual trust, assistance, and emotional support and create a sense of belonging among coworkers. Employees with positive perceptions of their job responsibilities, psychological needs, and work environment experience happiness, satisfaction, and an overall sense of well-being. A heightened sense of well-being in the workplace positively affects employee satisfaction with job tasks and the work environment, reinforcing employees' sense of belonging and organizational commitment. OBJECTIVE: The study proposed and validated a theoretical model, with meta-analytic structural equation modeling employed to conduct quantitative, empirical research on workplace friendships, well-being, and organizational commitment in Taiwan and to analyze correlations between relevant variables. METHODS: The theoretical model was further validated through structural equation modeling, which yielded favorable goodness of fit in terms of various indicators. RESULTS: The mediating effect of well-being was verified through bootstrapping analysis. Within a 95% confidence interval, the total effect size of workplace friendships on organizational commitment was 0.549, which is the sum of its direct effect (0.255) and indirect effect (0.294). CONCLUSIONS: This finding indicates that well-being plays a mediating role in the association between workplace friendships and organizational commitment. The proposed theoretical model in this study is supported. Finally, the research results are discussed, and practical suggestions are provided.

Exploring Within-Gender Differences in Friendships Using an Online Social Network.

People tend to befriend others similar to themselves, generating a pattern called homophily. However, existing studies on friendship patterns often rely on surveys that assess the perspective of relatively few participants on their friendships but do not measure actualized friendship patterns. Here, we used data from a large Slovakian online social network to assess the role of gender, age, and body mass index (BMI) in same-gender online connections among more than 400,000 users. We found that age and BMI homophily occurred in both men's and women's same-gender connections, but somewhat more strongly among men's. Yet, as women diverged in BMI, their connections were less likely to be reciprocated. We discuss how the evolutionary legacy of men's coalitional competition (e.g., warfare) and women's mating competition or recruitment of allocare providers might contribute to these patterns in modern same-gender relationships. For example, men's engagement in physical activities may lead to similar formidability levels among their same-gender peers. Altogether, our findings highlight the importance of trait similarity to same-gender friendship patterns.

The Social Processes of Excessive Online Gaming Homophily: Peer Selection or Influence?

Adolescents who befriend online game using peers may be at risk for initiated and continued excessive game use (online gaming use homophily). The present article examined how adolescents' severity of online gaming use related to their friends' online gaming behavior bi-directionally across a semester (peer selection or peer influence effect). Students from two universities completed three waves of online surveys within four and a half months (N = 3079; 33.6% female; Mage = 19.16; SD = 0.97). Random-intercepts, Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) analyses revealed that peer selection and peer influence both promote online gaming use homophily in adolescents' friendship groups. Furthermore, participants were more likely to form new friendships with peers exhibiting similar online gaming behavior as their behavior, subsequently reinforcing their online gaming use behaviors within these relationships. These social processes may exhibit a time lag among girls, which needs to be confirmed through longer-term follow-up. In general, findings suggest that effective prevention programs targeting excessive online gaming should not only focus on promoting social influence skills but also consider the structure of peer environments.

Am I Broken?: A mixed-method analysis of an ethnotheatrical performance about women's experiences with infertility and friendship.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated an ethnotheatrical performance about infertility to bring awareness to the health condition and its impact on friendships. METHODS: After each performance (N = 2), attendees participated in a talkback session to express thoughts and ask questions about the production; then, they completed a survey describing their overall experience. Analyses included descriptive statistics for Likert questions and a thematic analysis for open-ended responses. RESULTS: Eighty-six percent of attendees found the performance informative about the challenges infertility imposes on everyday life, and more than 60% gained new information and advice on how to talk about infertility. The thematic analysis revealed three themes: learn about the complexities of infertility experiences, develop empathy towards individuals with infertility, and respond appropriately to individuals coping with infertility. CONCLUSION: The performance offered a safe environment for attendees to learn, understand, and process infertility's complex nature. Creating awareness influenced participants' perceptions and communicative behaviors.

Recent stressful life events and identity development in emerging adults: An examination of within-person effects.

OBJECTIVE: To examine longitudinal associations among stressful life events and identity processess in emerging adults while accounting for within-person and between-person effects. BACKGROUND: Theoretical perspectives suggest that stressful life events may impact one's identity (i.e., coherent sense of self), but few studies have considered how changes in stressful life events are associated with changes within an individual's identity development over time (within-person effects). METHODS:  Recent stressful life events (i.e., academic problems, friendship problems, romantic problems, and time pressure) and the processes through which identity develops (e.g., exploring in breadth and depth) were examined longitudinally (T1-T3) in a sample of emerging adults (N = 1125, Mage = 17.96 years). RESULTS: Random-intercept cross-lagged modeling demonstrated that at the between-person level, emerging adults with greater academic and friendship problems, as well as more time pressures (relative to their counterparts), tended to engage in greater ruminative exploration. Further, those with more academic problems tended to demonstrate weaker commitment-making and exploration in breadth and depth (relative to their counterparts). Within-person increases in romantic problems predicted lower commitment-making and higher ruminative exploration over time. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that romantic problems may predict within-person changes in identity processes, whereas academic problems, friendship problems, and time pressure may be more concurrently related to identity development.

Longitudinal Associations Between Friendship Ethnic/Racial Composition and Ethnic/Racial Identity: The Role of School Ethnic/Racial Diversity.

Schools and friendships represent important but distinct contexts for adolescent identity development. However, research has yet to explore the long-term interplay between these factors on ethnic/racial identity (ERI). This study included a sample of 640 adolescents from 9 public high schools in a diverse United States metropolis (Mage = 14.50, SD = 0.67; 44% Asian, 20% Black, 36% Latinx; female = 68%, male = 32%, non-binary = 0%). Latent growth curve modeling was conducted to investigate longitudinal associations in friendship ethnic/racial composition and ERI exploration. From the 9th-11th grades, same-race friends and ERI exploration increased linearly whereas friendship ethnic/racial diversity decreased linearly. Adolescents attending more ethnically/racially diverse schools maintained more ethnically/racially diverse friends over time but did not differ in changes in ERI exploration compared to adolescents in less diverse schools. There was no association between the rates at which adolescents' friendship ethnic/racial composition and ERI changed over time. More ethnically/racially diverse friends in the 9th-grade predicted faster increases in subsequent ERI exploration. The findings highlight important differences in the roles of friendship and school contexts on ERI, suggesting that friendship ethnic/racial diversity, but not school ethnic/racial diversity, facilitated ERI exploration over time. School ethnic/racial diversity did facilitate a slower decline in friendship ethnic/racial diversity, emphasizing the importance of school integration.

Neural Similarity and Synchrony among Friends.

Researchers have long recognized that friends tend to exhibit behaviors that are more similar to each other than to those of non-friends. In recent years, the concept of neural similarity or neural synchrony among friends has garnered significant attention. This body of research bifurcates into two primary areas of focus: the specificity of neural similarity among friends (vs. non-friends) and the situational factors that influence neural synchrony among friends. This review synthesizes the complex findings to date, highlighting consistencies and identifying gaps in the current understanding. It aims to provide a coherent overview of the nuanced interplay between social relationships and neural processes, offering valuable insights for future investigations in this field.

Links Between Best-Friendship Quality and Well-Being From Early Emerging Adulthood to Early Established Adulthood.

The aim of this study was to verify whether the links between features of best-friendship quality (intimacy, reliable alliance, conflict) and well-being indicators (self-esteem, loneliness) change from early emerging adulthood to early established adulthood. The moderating effect of gender and investment in romantic life on these links was examined as well. For the purpose, 346 individuals (58% women) completed questionnaires at age 20 and again at age 30. Multilevel analysis were performed for each well-being indicators separately. The results showed reliable alliance to be associated with both well-being indicators, and intimacy to be associated with loneliness. Age moderated the effect of intimacy on self-esteem, whereas investment in romantic life moderated the effect of reliable alliance. Finally, triple interactions emerged between conflict, gender and age in their associations with self-esteem and loneliness, underscoring particularities for men. These results underscore the most influential features of friendship quality for well-being.

Social media features, perceived group norms, and adolescents' active social media use matter for perceived friendship quality.

Introduction: Developmental researchers are becoming increasingly interested in the role of social media in adolescents' experiences with their peers; however, to date, few studies have investigated the association between youngsters' interactions with friends online and the perceived quality of their friendship relationships. Methods: Thus, the current study aims to test the associations between three social media features, as perceived by adolescents, (i.e., availability, quantifiability, visualness) and the quality of adolescents' friendships (in terms of perceived validation, intimacy, companionship), considering participants' frequency of active social media use (i.e., self-oriented and other-oriented social media use), and the role of perceived group norms about social media use. Moreover, we tested potential differences across gender groups. Participants were 751 adolescents (Mage = 16.2, SD = 1.5). Results: A SEM analysis showed that, among the perceived social media features, availability was positively associated with perceived friendship quality-both directly and indirectly. Furthermore, friends who participated more in other-oriented social media use reported being more satisfied with their friendship relationships and the results showed that peer influence processes were also active on social media. Discussion: Taken together, these results emphasize the study of social media as a social context for a better understanding of contemporary peer experiences during adolescence. Specifically, novel behaviors (e.g., liking or commenting on posts or content of peers), which characterize interactions between friends, may support relational functioning and well-being purposes in both the offline and online context.

The double-edged sword of workplace friendship: exploring when and how workplace friendship promotes versus inhibits voice behavior.

Extant research has demonstrated the positive roles of workplace friendships and has recently found the negative effect or the double-edged effect on employees and organizations. Unfortunately, little is known about the boundary condition of the double-edged effects of workplace friendships and the elaborated understanding of the mechanism of positive and negative effects of workplace friendship simultaneously. Our purpose is to reveal that workplace friendship is a mixed blessing by investigating when and how workplace friendships are likely to promote versus inhibit voice behavior. We propose that the double-edged effect of workplace friendship hinges on the competitive climate. Specifically, when the competitive climate is low, workplace friendship is positively related to employees' psychological safety, promoting voice behavior. In contrast, workplace friendship is positively related to employees' face concern, inhibiting voice behavior when the competitive climate is high. Our hypotheses were supported across the three waves of surveys and experimental studies. Taken together, our findings reveal the perils and benefits of workplace friendship and the importance of boundary conditions resulting in employees' differential psychological processes in friendship interaction.

How do people with intellectual disabilities understand friendship? A systematic meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Previous systematic reviews of the relationships of people with intellectual disabilities have included consideration of intimate relationships. In this paper, we report a systematic review of papers describing friendship only. METHOD: A systematic qualitative meta-synthesis of the research exploring experiences of friendship as reported by people with intellectual disabilities. RESULTS: Seven papers met the inclusion criteria for analysis. Three superordinate themes were identified. (1) Reciprocity, 'Someone who helps me, and I help them'. (2) The building blocks of friendships, 'I can tell her some secrets'. (3) Managing friendship difficulties, 'In real life it's much harder'. CONCLUSION: People with intellectual disabilities value friendship and actively engage in reciprocal exchanges. We explore the strengths and limitations of current research, clinical implications, and directions for future research.

College Women's Perceptions of a Friend-Based Intervention to Prevent Alcohol-Involved Sexual Assault.

Sexual assault (SA), particularly alcohol-involved SA, remains prevalent among college women. Because SA often begins in social contexts, bystander intervention has become a popular approach to prevention. Bystander interventions train individuals to intervene on behalf of others, including strangers, despite research indicating that intervention is more likely to occur when the bystander has a relationship with the target. Shifting the focus to friends as potential bystanders capitalizes on the qualities of relationship and responsibility that facilitate intervention. College women (N = 35) participated in focus groups (N = 8) during which they viewed a video prototype of a friend-based motivational interviewing (FMI) intervention session conducted with a friend dyad and provided feedback about the relevance and feasibility of using such an approach to reduce SA among friends who drink together in social settings. Content analysis of focus group transcripts yielded three themes: a) Friends as Natural Bystanders; b) The Role of Alcohol in Intervention, and c) Receptivity to FMI intervention. Women indicated that they feel responsible for keeping their friends safe, and that this sense of responsibility facilitates helping behaviors. Women also described ways through which alcohol intoxication can affect helping behavior. Women expressed enthusiasm for the FMI intervention approach and identified its emphasis on friendship and flexible approaches to personal safety as strengths. Findings highlight the promise of FMI intervention approaches that capitalize on the strengths of women's friendship to create safety goals that align with participants' values and overcome barriers to intervention, including alcohol intoxication.

Friendship Homophily Trajectories among Asian American Youth from High School to College.

Friendship racial homophily, the tendency to form friendships with individuals who share the same racial background, is a normative developmental phenomenon that holds particular significance for youth of color in a racialized society. Yet, there exists a paucity of longitudinal research elucidating the stability and change of friendship racial composition across developmental span. This study aimed to examine the friendship racial homophily trajectories over a six-year period encompassing four time points. The sample comprised 437 Asian American youth (MAge = 16.52, SDAge = 1.36, 53% female), with 197 Filipino and 240 Korean participants. Using logistic multilevel modeling analyses, it was found that both Filipino and Korean American youth demonstrated an increase in friendship racial homophily from high school to college, but that Filipino youth overall reported lower levels of racial homophily compared to their Korean counterparts. The study findings also pinpointed several influential factors impacting these trajectories, including proficiency in heritage languages, ethnic identity, and encounters with racial discrimination from both White Americans and other People of Color. These results highlight the continuous evolution of friendship racial composition from high school to college and emphasize the crucial role of ethnic identity and experiences of discrimination in influencing these dynamics, with ethnic identity exerting more enduring effects and experiences of discrimination showing more situational impacts on the levels of racial homophily.

The Relation between Residential Mobility and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Adolescence: The Role of Subjective Moving Experience, Gender, and Friendship Quality.

Adolescent residential mobility can be a stressful life event, potentially aggravating internalizing or externalizing problems. However, the longitudinal effects of residential mobility are understudied and may be context-dependent. This study investigates the longitudinal associations between adolescent residential mobility and internalizing and externalizing problems. Additionally, this study examines for whom residential moves are most detrimental by including subjective moving experience, gender, and friendship quality before the move as moderators. Longitudinal data from 2,029 adolescents (51% female) from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) were used (Mage [SD] at T1 = 11.1 [0.55], T2 = 13.6 [0.52], and T3 = 16.3 [0.70]). Results from stepwise multi-level random-effect models showed that adolescents who experienced an unpleasant move remained stable in internalizing problems, while others decreased over time. Adolescents who moved increased stronger in externalizing problems than adolescents who did not move, independent of whether they experienced the move as unpleasant. Gender and friendship quality before the move did not moderate the relation between residential mobility and internalizing or externalizing problem development. These results emphasize that residential moves in adolescence, especially when experienced as unpleasant, can have long-lasting negative effects on adolescent development.

The mediating effect of depressive symptoms on the association between childhood friendship and physical function in middle-aged and older adults: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

BACKGROUND: This study examines the extent to which depressive symptoms mediate the link between childhood friendship (CF) and physical function among middle-aged and older adults in China. METHODS: China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) data were used; specifically, CHARLS life history survey (conducted from June 1-December 31, 2014) and follow-up health survey (conducted from July 1-September 30, 2015) data were used. The Sobel test, Bootstrap test and multivariable logistic regression were performed to examine the mediating role of depressive symptoms (measured by the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) in the association between CF (measured by a standardized retrospective questionnaire) and physical function, which was measured by basic activities of daily living (BADL) disability, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability, and grip strength. RESULTS: A total of 12,170 participants aged 45 years or older were included in this cross-sectional study. After controlling for covariates, low-quality CF was associated with an increased prevalence of BADL disability (OR = 1.18; 95 % CI = 1.05-1.32), IADL disability (OR = 1.25; 95 % CI = 1.12-1.40), and low grip strength (OR = 1.21; 95 % CI = 1.09-1.34). The proportion of the mediating effect of depressive symptoms was 48 % for CF and BADL, 40 % for CF and IADL, and 11 % for CF and grip strength. Depressive symptoms and worse CF have a joint effect on BADL disability (OR = 3.30; 95 % CI = 2.82-3.85), IADL disability (OR = 3.52; 95 % CI = 3.03-4.09), and low grip strength (OR = 1.65; 95 % CI = 1.43-1.92). LIMITATIONS: Not all potential confounding factors (such as childhood behavioural problems, genetic factors, and memory function) were measured in the analysis, and there may have been recall bias in the retrospective collection of CF data. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with high-quality CF were more likely to have a decreased prevalence of impaired physical function in later life. Depressive symptoms acted as a mediator associated with the development of CF.

Young children's choices and thoughts about pro-social behaviour towards others with overweight.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate weight bias within young children's pro-social choices between characters who differed in body size. METHODS: Seventy-six children aged 4-6 years read stories asking them to choose who they would first help, share with, comfort, and steal from, between a healthy weight and child with overweight. They also selected the one character they would most like to play with. Children's reasoning for these choices was recorded and analysed. RESULTS: The character with overweight was helped first in only a third of the choices made. Children chose the characters with overweight more often as the target for anti-social action. In friendship selections, children overwhelmingly rejected the characters with overweight. However, weight bias was not prominent in the reasons children gave for the choices. Most children were not negative about body shape, weight or appearance. Similarly, in friendship choices, these were mostly expressed positively to the character chosen. Only a small minority of children were explicitly negative about the character with overweight. CONCLUSIONS: A better understanding of weight bias acquisition and variation between children will benefit those working in health care and educational settings. Future research should link with developmental theory, such as on social categorization and theory of mind.

"When I need help, I ask my friends": experiences of Spanish autistic women when disclosing their late diagnosis to family and friends.

Family and friends may play an important role both in the identification and diagnosis of any condition, as well as in the provision of support afterwards. However, when the diagnosis is autism and it arrives late, as is often the case with autistic women, we find the double stigma of experiencing the repercussions of a late diagnosis, along with the disbelief of those closest to them. This study aims to analyse and understand the experiences of autistic women with their family and friends throughout the diagnostic process and subsequent help-seeking endeavors. A total of 21 Spanish autistic women aged between 20 and 58 years answered a series of open-ended questions-respecting the participants' preferred modality. From the thematic analysis, two main themes emerged regarding the reactions of family and friends, dividing the experiences into two temporal phases: when disclosing the diagnosis and sometime later. Most participants noted that their relatives did not believe them, reacted in a hostile way, or did not give it any importance at the time of disclosure. As a result, their relationship deteriorated even further over time. In contrast, their friends served as pillars of support from the beginning, along with their partners and the associations they attended, because of which they met more autistic women who became their "family". Thus, another consequence of late diagnosis in autistic women is highlighted, the incomprehension or disbelief from their relatives, and the important role of friendships among women and among autistic women.