title: The mediational role of adolescents' friends in relations between activity breadth and adjustment.
abstract: This investigation addresses the mediational role of friends' characteristics between adolescents' activity breadth (i.e., variety in activity participation) and their later adjustment. Data were drawn from 2 longitudinal studies: the Childhood and Beyond (CAB; N = 925) study and the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study (MADICS; N = 1,338). Adolescents at Time 2 in each study (8th, 9th, and 11th graders in CAB and 8th graders in MADICS) reported on the breadth of their participation across 5 activity settings: sports, religious, volunteering, community, and school. Friends' characteristics and adolescent adjustment were reported by adolescents at Times 1 and 3. Friends' positive characteristics significantly mediated relations between activity breadth and adolescent depressive affect, self-worth, alcohol use, and problem behavior in both studies. Friends' negative characteristics significantly mediated these relations in CAB, but not in MADICS.
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-3701, USA. sandra.simpkins@asu.edu
authors.forename: Sandra D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Simpkins
authors.forename: Jacquelynne S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Eccles
authors.forename: Jennifer N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Becnel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010379:Peer Group; D010555:Personality Inventory; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012649:Self Concept; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012925:Social Conformity; D012931:Social Environment; D012933:Social Identification; D012951:Socialization; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors