The Role of Self-Control and Early Adolescents' Friendships in the Development of Externalizing Behavior: The SNARE Study.
This social network study investigated the moderating role of self-control in the association between friendship and the development of externalizing behavior: Antisocial behavior, alcohol use, tobacco use. Previous studies have shown inconsistent findings, and did not control for possible friendship network or selection effects. We tested two complementary hypotheses: (1) That early-adolescents with low self-control develop externalizing behavior regardless of their friends' behavior, or (2) as a result of being influenced by their friends' externalizing behavior to a greater extent. Hypotheses were investigated using data from the SNARE (Social Network Analysis of Risk behavior in Early adolescence) study (N = 1144, 50 % boys, M age 12.7, SD = 0.47). We controlled for selection effects and the network structure, using a data-analysis package called SIENA. The main findings indicate that personal low self-control and friends' externalizing behaviors both predict early adolescents' increasing externalizing behaviors, but they do so independently. Therefore, interventions should focus on all early adolescents' with a lower self-control, rather than focus on those adolescents with a lower self-control who also have friends who engage in externalizing behavior.
Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht Centre of Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.140, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands. A.Franken1@uu.nl.
Aart
A
Franken
Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.|King's College London, London, UK.
Terrie E
TE
Moffitt
Department of Sociology, Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Christian E G
CE
Steglich
Department of Sociology, Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Jan Kornelis
JK
Dijkstra
Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht Centre of Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.140, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Zeena
Z
Harakeh
Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht Centre of Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.140, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Wilma A M
WA
Vollebergh
D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D000068356:Self-Control; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012932:Social Facilitation
Alcohol use; Antisocial behavior; SIENA; Self-control; Social network analysis; Tobacco use