Relations of Friendship Quality to Self-Esteem in Early Adolescence

Abstract

The major goal of the study was to examine the relations of friendship quality to adolescent self-esteem over time. Seventh and eighth graders (n = 297) completed the same questionnaire in the fall and spring of a school year. Students whose friendships were supportive in the fall felt less satisfied with their own appearance during the year, when their friendships mostly were unstable. As expected, students who had many negative interactions with friends in the fall viewed their own conduct as less appropriate during the year Students who frequently interacted with friends in the fall, when all of their fall friendships were unstable, also became less satisfied with their own appearance over time. The results indicated that the quality and stability of adolescents' friendships not only are related to their self-esteem, but also are related to the changes over time in specific areas of self-esteem.