The Interplay Between Adolescent Friendship Quality and Resilient Functioning Following Childhood and Adolescent Adversity

Adversity and Resilience Science, vol. 2, pp. 37–50

Abstract

Background: . We previously found that resilient functioning in adolescence following CA is facilitated by adolescent friendships.However, during adolescence, friendships undergo significant change. It is unknown whether resilient functioning after CA fluctuates with these normative changes in friendship quality. Methods: We used Latent Change Score Modelling in a large sample of adolescents (i.e. the ROOTS cohort; N=1238) to examine whether and how emergent friendship quality and resilient functioning at ages 14 and 17 inter-relate and change together. Results: We found that friendships quality and resilient functioning had strong associations at age 14, although friendships at 14 did not predict higher resilient functioning at 17. Higher resilient functioning in 14-year-olds with a history of CA was associated with a positive change in friendships from age 14 to 17. Finally, improvements in friendship quality and resilient functioning went hand in hand, even when taking into account baseline levels of both, the change within friendship quality or resilient functioning over time, and the association between resilient functioning and change in friendship quality over time. Conclusions: We show that friendship quality and resilient functioning after CA inter-relate and change together between ages 14 and 17. Our results suggest that improving friendship quality or resilient functioning within this timeframe may benefit this vulnerable adolescent group, and this should be tested in future research.

Authors 4

1. Anne‐Laura van Harmelen corresponding Aachen Education and Child Studies

   Leiden University · University of Cambridge

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK

   Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands

   Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

2. Sarah‐Jayne Blakemore

   University of Cambridge · University College London

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK

   UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, UK

   Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

3. Ian Michael Goodyer

   University of Cambridge

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK

   Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

4. Rogier Kievit

   Radboud University Nijmegen · MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit · University of Cambridge · Radboud University Medical Center · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour

   Affiliation as printed

   MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK

   Radboud University Medical Centre, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour

   Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands