Early Adolescents’ Social Standing in Peer Groups: Behavioral Correlates of Stability and Change

• Published in: Journal of youth and adolescence 2009-09, Vol.38 (8), p.1084-1095
• Main Authors: Lansford, Jennifer E., Killeya-Jones, Ley A., Miller, Shari, Costanzo, Philip R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescents; Age Factors; Aggression; Aggressiveness; Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol use; Behavior; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child development; Children & youth; Clinical Psychology; Cognitive Mapping; Cognitive models; Developmental psychology; Drinking; Drinking Behavior; Early Adolescents; Empirical Research; Ethnicity; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender Differences; Grade 5; Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Health Psychology; History of Psychology; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Law and Psychology; Leadership; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Meta-analysis; Nominations; Peer Acceptance; Peer Group; Peer Groups; Peer relationships; Peers; Popularity; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Questionnaires; Self Concept; Sex Factors; Social Perception; Social research; Social Status; Sociometric Techniques; Stability; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers
• ISSN: 0047-2891; 1573-6601
• DOI: 10.1007/s10964-009-9410-3

Sociometric nominations, social cognitive maps, and self-report questionnaires were completed in consecutive years by 327 students (56% girls) followed longitudinally from grade 7 to grade 8 to examine the stability of social standing in peer groups and correlates of changes in social standing. Social preference, perceived popularity, network centrality, and leadership were moderately stable from grade 7 to grade 8. Alcohol use and relational aggression in grade 7 predicted changes in social preference and centrality, respectively, between grade 7 and grade 8, but these effects were moderated by gender and ethnicity. Changes in social standing from grade 7 to grade 8 were unrelated to grade 8 physical aggression, relational aggression, and alcohol use after controlling for the grade 7 corollaries of these behaviors. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding links between social standing and problem behaviors during adolescence.