Child Psychology Commons^™

Similarities In Aggression, Inattention/Hyperactivity, Depression, And Anxiety Between Friends And Nonfriends, Kristin A. Clark

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Friendship similarities on behavioral and psychopathological characteristics have been proposed as being risk factors for maladaptive development, yet these similarities have not been thoroughly examined. The purpose of the present study was to examine the similarities within children's friendships. It was expected that friends would be more similar than nonfriends on aggression, inattention/hyperactivity, depression, and anxiety. Friendship similarities should also differ across grades, with similarity decreasing as grade increases, and across gender, with boys' friendships more similar on depression and anxiety and girls' friendships more similar on aggression and inattention/hyperactivity.

Two hundred thirty-four 4th through 9th grade students completed self-report …