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It is well-established that unstructured unsupervised socializing with peers (UUS) motivates deviance while in that specific context. In this article, we extend this situational view by arguing that repeated UUS may also gradually shape adolescents’ norms and decision making beyond the situation. Specifically, we argue that UUS promotes short-term mindsets, i.e., an increased focus on present rewards at the expense of considering future consequences. We test this hypothesis with fixed-effects models, using longitudinal data from a representative sample of 1,675 adolescents from Zurich, Switzerland. Consistent with our preregistered predictions, more frequent UUS is associated with increased short-term mindsets. Thus, our finding suggests that the effects of UUS on later deviance might be driven by becoming more present-oriented. This link offers new insights into the developmental pathways toward adolescent delinquency and offers a potential target for intervention.

Adolescence is a period of normative heightened sensitivity to peer influence. Individual differences in susceptibility to peers is related to individual differences in neural sensitivity, particularly in brain regions that support an increasingly greater orientation toward peers. Despite these empirically-established patterns, the more specific psychosocial and socio-cognitive factors associated with individual differences in neural sensitivity to peer influence are just beginning to gain research attention. Specific features of the factors that contribute to how adolescents process social information can inform understanding of the psychological and neurobiological processes involved in what renders adolescents to be more or less susceptible to peer influences. In this paper, we (1) review the literature about peer, family, and broader contextual influences on sensitivity to peers' positive and negative behaviors, (2) outline components of social information processing theories, and (3) discuss features of these models from the perspectives and social cognitive development and social neuroscience. We identify gaps in the current literature that need to be addressed in order to gain a more comprehensive view of adolescent neural sensitivity to peer influence. We conclude by suggesting how future neuroimaging studies can adopt components of this social information processing model to generate new lines of research.

Physical activity typically decreases during teenage years and has been identified as a health priority by Aboriginal adolescents. We examined associations between physical activity levels and sociodemographic, movement and health variables in the Aboriginal led ‘Next Generation: Youth Well-being (NextGen) Study’ of Aboriginal people aged 10–24 years from Central Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales. Baseline survey data collected by Aboriginal researchers and Aboriginal youth peer recruiters from 2018 to 2020 examined demographics and health-related behaviours. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) for engaging in high levels of physical activity in the past week (3–7 days; 0–2 days (ref), or ‘don’t remember’) associated with demographic and behavioural factors. Of 1170 adolescents, 524 (41.9%) had high levels of physical activity; 455 (36.4%) had low levels; 191 (15.3%) did not remember. Factors independently associated with higher odds of physical activity 3–7 days/week were low weekday recreational screen time [55.3% vs. 44.0%, OR 1.79 (1.16–2.76)], having non-smoking friends [50.4% vs. 25.0%, OR 2.27 (1.03–5.00)] and having fewer friends that drink alcohol [48.1% vs. 35.2%, OR 2.08 (1.05–4.14)]. Lower odds of high physical activity were independently associated with being female [40.2% vs. 50.9%, OR 0.57 (0.40–0.80)] and some findings differed by sex. The NextGen study provides evidence to inform the co-design and implementation of strategies to increase Aboriginal adolescent physical activity such as focusing on peer influences and co-occurring behaviours such as screen time.

Paternal incarceration is associated with a wide array of negative developmental outcomes for children who are reared in this context, thus perpetuating intergenerational patterns of cumulative disadvantage. Recent scholarship from Giordano et al. (2019) has called for research investigating factors associated with intergenerational discontinuities in the life-course trajectories of children with incarcerated parents. There is reason to believe that prosocial peers may serve as a potential protective factor capable of ameliorating the negative developmental consequences of paternal incarceration. This thesis uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to explore whether prosocial friends can attenuate the elevated risk of delinquency and substance use which are often associated with paternal incarceration. The results suggest that prosocial friends are generally related to decreased propensity for delinquency and substance use, but they do not buffer the effect of paternal incarceration on adolescent delinquency and substance use. In the end, prosocial friends show promise as a universal protective factor among adolescents, which has meaningful implications for future research and interventions designed to set youth on more positive developmental trajectories.

In a recent meta-analysis, Giletta et al. (2021) [1] found a positive effect of peers' behavior at time 1 on target youths' behavior at time 2 while adjusting for target youths’ behavior at time 1 and claimed to have quantified peer influence. However, it is established that controlled cross-lagged effects could be due to correlations with measurement errors and reversion in the direction of the mean rather than due to true decreasing or increasing effects. Here, in a reanalysis of the same meta-analytic data as used by Giletta et al., we found that peer influence, as operationalized by Giletta et al., may have been distorted (i.e. spurious). We do not claim that peer influence does not exist, but it may be hard, maybe not even possible, to prove by analyses of observational data that it does exist. Difficulties to prove causal effects by analyses of observational data is common for all areas of research and not specific for research on peer influence.

There is mixed evidence for depression socialization, a process by which friends affect each other’s level of depressive symptoms. The current study examined whether adolescents’ baseline depressive symptoms and three dimensions of autonomous functioning (autonomy, peer resistance, and friend adaptation) make adolescents more or less sensitive to depression socialization, and how these dimensions of autonomous functioning were connected. In this preregistered, two-wave longitudinal study, participants completed questionnaires on depressive symptoms, autonomy, and peer resistance and participated in a task to assess friend adaptation. Participants were 416 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 11.60, 52.8% girls) across 230 close friend dyads. In contrast to expectations, results showed no significant depression socialization nor significant moderation. Furthermore, autonomy and peer resistance were related but distinct constructs, and not related to friend adaptation. These findings suggest that there is no depression socialization in early adolescence, regardless of level of autonomous functioning.

Young people are disproportionally impacted by heatwaves, floods, droughts, and other impacts of climate change. They also have unique potential to catalyze the transformative sustainable change that the world needs now. How can this potential be leveraged? In this perspective, we present the sustainability motive-alignment hypothesis to understand and harness young peoples’, especially adolescents’, potential for sustainable engagement. The hypothesis posits that adolescents will be internally motivated to engage in sustainable behavior when they construe such behavior as a means of pursuing their personal motives for autonomy and status. The hypothesis also suggests that sustainability-promoting policies (educational programs, campaigns) can be improved by using techniques that reshape how adolescents construe sustainability—from a low-priority chore to an activity that embodies a personal priority. We discuss research priorities to expand and evaluate the sustainability motive-alignment hypothesis and to help better understand the psychological forces underlying adolescents’ sustainable engagement.

When coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news along with protective health recommendations first came to people’s life, such ambiguous information became a public opinion. Performing protective behaviors can be regarded as an approval of the majority opinion as people have to alter their established health positions and practices. So far, the association between public opinion and protective health behaviors is unclear especially in the pandemic context. This study utilized a survey data collected between 1 and 10 April 2020 in Germany (n = 101), Austria (n = 261), Switzerland (n = 26), and China (n = 267). We compared the protective health behaviors between the Chinese and European participants, as well as examined the associations between the protective health behaviors, peer influence, and fear of social isolation. Protective health behaviors were found similar between Chinese and European participants, although being independent from peer influence and fear of social isolation were related to protective health behaviors in the Chinese sample. Our cross-national findings are consistent with previous studies, suggesting that both official and unofficial health communication show stronger influences in Asian populations. Findings from this study provide advice for public communication strategies to promote protective health behaviors during pandemics.

When coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news along with protective health recommendations first came to people’s life, such ambiguous information became a public opinion. Performing protective behaviors can be regarded as an approval of the majority opinion as people have to alter their established health positions and practices. So far, the association between public opinion and protective health behaviors is unclear especially in the pandemic context. This study utilized a survey data collected between 1 and 10 April 2020 in Germany (n = 101), Austria (n = 261), Switzerland (n = 26), and China (n = 267). We compared the protective health behaviors between the Chinese and European participants, as well as examined the associations between the protective health behaviors, peer influence, and fear of social isolation. Protective health behaviors were found similar between Chinese and European participants, although being independent from peer influence and fear of social isolation were related to protective health behaviors in the Chinese sample. Our cross-national findings are consistent with previous studies, suggesting that both official and unofficial health communication show stronger influences in Asian populations. Findings from this study provide advice for public communication strategies to promote protective health behaviors during pandemics.

Emotion regulation is particularly important for adolescents as they undergo normative developmental changes in affective systems and experience heightened risk for psychopathology. Despite a high need for emotion regulation during adolescence, commonly studied emotion regulation strategies like cognitive reappraisal are less beneficial for adolescents than adults because they rely on neural regions that are still developing during this period (i.e., lateral prefrontal cortex). However, adolescence is also marked by increased valuation of peer relationships and sensitivity to social information and cues. In the present review, we synthesize research examining emotion regulation and peer influence across development to suggest that sensitivity to peers during adolescence could be leveraged to improve emotion regulation for this population. We first discuss developmental trends related to emotion regulation at the level of behavior and brain in adolescents, using cognitive reappraisal as an exemplar emotion regulation strategy. Next, we discuss social influences on adolescent brain development, describing caregiver influence and increasing susceptibility to peer influence, to describe how adolescent sensitivity to social inputs represents both a window of vulnerability and opportunity. Finally, we conclude by describing the promise of social (i.e., peer-based) interventions for enhancing emotion regulation in adolescence.

Introduction The primary objective of this study was to comprehensively examine the underlying drivers and consequences associated with school truancy within the context of Criminology students at CICOSAT Colleges. The researchers adopted a qualitative approach within an explanatory research framework to achieve this goal. By employing the qualitative research design, precisely the case study method, the study sought to delve deeply into the intricate details of school truancy cases among Criminology students, aiming to capture genuine insights from the subjects/respondents. Method Qualitative research was deemed appropriate due to its ability to capture authentic personal accounts and experiences. This method allowed the researchers to explore the subjective aspects of the participants' journey through chronic truancy and its resultant impacts, such as academic setbacks and transfers within CICOSAT Colleges. The case study method was selected as it provided an ideal framework to examine those students who exhibited persistent patterns of truancy and had encountered substantial consequences in their academic pursuits. Findings Based on the comprehensive analysis derived from this research endeavor, several significant findings were drawn regarding the profile of the Criminology students grappling with school truancy. The participant pool comprised eight Criminology students, equally divided between genders, with four males and four females. Their age distribution was diverse, with two participants aged 20 or below, while the remaining six were 23 or older. Regarding marital status, seven were single, while one was married. Geographically, the participants hailed from various districts within La Union, including Central, North, and South districts and Ilocos Sur. Accommodation arrangements varied, with one participant living in a boarding arrangement, while the others were non-boarding. Family structures also exhibited diversity, with various family back

Introduction The primary objective of this study was to comprehensively examine the underlying drivers and consequences associated with school truancy within the context of Criminology students at CICOSAT Colleges. The researchers adopted a qualitative approach within an explanatory research framework to achieve this goal. By employing the qualitative research design, precisely the case study method, the study sought to delve deeply into the intricate details of school truancy cases among Criminology students, aiming to capture genuine insights from the subjects/respondents. Method Qualitative research was deemed appropriate due to its ability to capture authentic personal accounts and experiences. This method allowed the researchers to explore the subjective aspects of the participants' journey through chronic truancy and its resultant impacts, such as academic setbacks and transfers within CICOSAT Colleges. The case study method was selected as it provided an ideal framework to examine those students who exhibited persistent patterns of truancy and had encountered substantial consequences in their academic pursuits. Findings Based on the comprehensive analysis derived from this research endeavor, several significant findings were drawn regarding the profile of the Criminology students grappling with school truancy. The participant pool comprised eight Criminology students, equally divided between genders, with four males and four females. Their age distribution was diverse, with two participants aged 20 or below, while the remaining six were 23 or older. Regarding marital status, seven were single, while one was married. Geographically, the participants hailed from various districts within La Union, including Central, North, and South districts and Ilocos Sur. Accommodation arrangements varied, with one participant living in a boarding arrangement, while the others were non-boarding. Family structures also exhibited diversity, with various family back

When coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news along with protective health recommendations first came to people’s life, such ambiguous information became a public opinion. Performing protective behaviors can be regarded as an approval of the majority opinion as people have to alter their established health positions and practices. So far, the association between public opinion and protective health behaviors is unclear especially in the pandemic context. This study utilized a survey data collected between 1 and 10 April 2020 in Germany (n = 101), Austria (n = 261), Switzerland (n = 26), and China (n = 267). We compared the protective health behaviors between the Chinese and European participants, as well as examined the associations between the protective health behaviors, peer influence, and fear of social isolation. Protective health behaviors were found similar between Chinese and European participants, although being independent from peer influence and fear of social isolation were related to protective health behaviors in the Chinese sample. Our cross-national findings are consistent with previous studies, suggesting that both official and unofficial health communication show stronger influences in Asian populations. Findings from this study provide advice for public communication strategies to promote protective health behaviors during pandemics.

When coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news along with protective health recommendations first came to people’s life, such ambiguous information became a public opinion. Performing protective behaviors can be regarded as an approval of the majority opinion as people have to alter their established health positions and practices. So far, the association between public opinion and protective health behaviors is unclear especially in the pandemic context. This study utilized a survey data collected between 1 and 10 April 2020 in Germany (n = 101), Austria (n = 261), Switzerland (n = 26), and China (n = 267). We compared the protective health behaviors between the Chinese and European participants, as well as examined the associations between the protective health behaviors, peer influence, and fear of social isolation. Protective health behaviors were found similar between Chinese and European participants, although being independent from peer influence and fear of social isolation were related to protective health behaviors in the Chinese sample. Our cross-national findings are consistent with previous studies, suggesting that both official and unofficial health communication show stronger influences in Asian populations. Findings from this study provide advice for public communication strategies to promote protective health behaviors during pandemics.

When coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news along with protective health recommendations first came to people’s life, such ambiguous information became a public opinion. Performing protective behaviors can be regarded as an approval of the majority opinion as people have to alter their established health positions and practices. So far, the association between public opinion and protective health behaviors is unclear especially in the pandemic context. This study utilized a survey data collected between 1 and 10 April 2020 in Germany (n = 101), Austria (n = 261), Switzerland (n = 26), and China (n = 267). We compared the protective health behaviors between the Chinese and European participants, as well as examined the associations between the protective health behaviors, peer influence, and fear of social isolation. Protective health behaviors were found similar between Chinese and European participants, although being independent from peer influence and fear of social isolation were related to protective health behaviors in the Chinese sample. Our cross-national findings are consistent with previous studies, suggesting that both official and unofficial health communication show stronger influences in Asian populations. Findings from this study provide advice for public communication strategies to promote protective health behaviors during pandemics.

Aim: A systematic review was performed to summarize the key findings of the peer influence on cannabis use through Social Network Analysis (SNA) studies and identify limitations and gaps with the purpose of informing future research and practice. Longitudinal studies were included since they provide robust information about social relationships change over time. Background: Adolescents’ cannabis use is a global problem, which has awakened an interest in its determinants such as social influences. Research has shown the importance of these influences on cannabis uptake and use. SNA is an useful relational approach to examine socialization mechanisms related to the onset of cannabis use in adolescents. Method: A search was conducted in PyscINFO, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science for longitudinal articles published until February 2023, to examine cannabis use and peer’s social networks. We focus on peers’ influence of peers on cannabis use. Additionally, information about effect of cannabis use for peer selection was collected. Results: The results of the included studies (n = 8) showed that friends’ cannabis use was most often/strongly associated with cannabis use. There was also an increase of cannabis use when the adolescent did not feel close to the school’s peers, had a higher proportion of friendships relative to the total number of ties in the neighborhood, had a central position, did not belong to any group but had ties to members of two or more groups, had cannabis user friends (especially in early ages), and lived in a neighborhood where cannabis was used. Conclusion: Cannabis use is mainly related to friends’ use. Yet, future studies are warranted to control for relevant selection effects to further knowledge on network effects on cannabis use, improving the design, and improving the modeling of the network. This systematic review may inform about the critical aspects of preventing cannabis use among adolescents, taking into consideration their complex soc

Impulsive and risky decision-making have been linked to dangerous driving, substance use, gambling, overspending, and general delinquency. The aim of the series of studies presented in this thesis was to gain an understanding into contextual factors that influence decision-making, focusing on the effects of peers, age, and gender. Article 1 (Chapter 2) reports on a single study where participants completed a delay-discounting task either alone, or in the presence of a same-aged peer of the same gender. Those in the peer condition exhibited significantly greater rates of discounting compared to those alone when comparing the area under the curve; however, there was no significant difference between the discount rates (k) between those in the peer condition and those in the alone condition. Due to difficulty with recruitment, we had a small sample, therefore, these results should be interpreted with caution. Article 2 (Chapter 3) presents two studies which examine the difference between peer presence, and peer influence (when peers provide an opinion) on risk-taking. In both studies, we used three hypothetical probabilistic-discounting scenarios to examine risk-taking. The first study investigated risk-taking under three conditions: peer absence, peer presence, and negative peer influence (risk-promoting peer). The second study added a fourth condition, positive peer influence (risk-averse peer), to examine whether positive peer influence was more like peer absence, or peer presence. Both studies showed that participants exhibited the greatest amount of risk-taking in the negative peer-influence condition, compared to both the peer-present and peer-absent conditions. Risk-taking was also greater in the peer-present condition compared to in the peer-absent condition. Therefore, both the presence and negative influence of peers increased risk-taking. The results of the second study in Article 2 extended our findings, showing that positive peer influence resulted in the

Background: This preregistered study compares adolescents with mild-to-borderline intellectual disability (MBID) and typically developing (TD) adolescents on their susceptibility to peer influence. To understand why adolescents with MBID are susceptible to peer influence, links with inhibition, Theory of Mind (ToM) and negative interpretation bias are investigated. Method: We assessed 163 adolescents (111 MBID, 52 TD 14–19 years; 63% boys) using experimental tasks and self- and/or teacher-reports. Results: Adolescents with MBID and TD adolescents did not differ in their susceptibility to peer influence, inhibition, and negative interpretations. On two ToM instruments, adolescents with MBID performed weaker than TD adolescents. In a structural equation model, tested in the MBID group, inhibition, ToM and negative interpretation bias were not related to susceptibility to peer influence. Conclusions: This study revealed new insights by strong methods such as the multimethod approach, a full theoretical model testing relations between all constructs simultaneously, and the large sample.

The overall goal of this dissertation was to investigate the complex interplay between person-related factors (i.e., status and behaviors) and multiple contextual effects on status-related behaviors in adolescents. The behaviors of adolescents are clearly associated with the behaviors of their peers in multiple overlapping contexts. In each context, individual characteristics (e.g., popularity), group characteristics (e.g., the distribution of status in a classroom, mean levels of alcohol use, relational aggression norms), and their interactions play a role. On the outcome side, the story varies depending on whether one wishes to predict, for example, adolescents’ health-risk behaviors, their achievement of status, or the process of conformity to peers. Associations varied considerably, but in all studies the group co-facilitated individual influence. Interventions are therefore likely to benefit from targeting individuals within groups rather than individuals in isolation. Furthermore, the set of research questions across the six studies led to four noteworthy contributions to peer influence and sociometric research: (a) investigating peer influence effects in multiple peer contexts and including multiple individual and contextual characteristics simultaneously as interacting sources of influence, (b) improving the sociometric measurement of peer status, (c) using ecologically valid field experiments to determine specific peer influence effects, and (d) investigating multiple group composition effects simultaneously using a new methodological framework, the GAPIM (Kenny & Garcia, 2012). Unraveling associations between individual and group-level characteristics is a fascinating enterprise. Yet, it is also a challenging endeavor. Fortunately, this will be increasingly possible thanks to the further development of new methods and analyses, such as those used in our studies (e.g., Group Actor-Partner Interdependence Model) and others (e.g., Stochastic Actor-Based M

Impulsive and risky decision-making have been linked to dangerous driving, substance use, gambling, overspending, and general delinquency. The aim of the series of studies presented in this thesis was to gain an understanding into contextual factors that influence decision-making, focusing on the effects of peers, age, and gender. Article 1 (Chapter 2) reports on a single study where participants completed a delay-discounting task either alone, or in the presence of a same-aged peer of the same gender. Those in the peer condition exhibited significantly greater rates of discounting compared to those alone when comparing the area under the curve; however, there was no significant difference between the discount rates (k) between those in the peer condition and those in the alone condition. Due to difficulty with recruitment, we had a small sample, therefore, these results should be interpreted with caution. Article 2 (Chapter 3) presents two studies which examine the difference between peer presence, and peer influence (when peers provide an opinion) on risk-taking. In both studies, we used three hypothetical probabilistic-discounting scenarios to examine risk-taking. The first study investigated risk-taking under three conditions: peer absence, peer presence, and negative peer influence (risk-promoting peer). The second study added a fourth condition, positive peer influence (risk-averse peer), to examine whether positive peer influence was more like peer absence, or peer presence. Both studies showed that participants exhibited the greatest amount of risk-taking in the negative peer-influence condition, compared to both the peer-present and peer-absent conditions. Risk-taking was also greater in the peer-present condition compared to in the peer-absent condition. Therefore, both the presence and negative influence of peers increased risk-taking. The results of the second study in Article 2 extended our findings, showing that positive peer influence resulted in the

Policymakers and business leaders often use peer comparison information-showing people how their behavior compares to that of their peers-to motivate a range of behaviors. Despite their widespread use, the potential impact of peer comparison interventions on recipients' well-being is largely unknown. We conducted a 5-mo field experiment involving 199 primary care physicians and 46,631 patients to examine the impact of a peer comparison intervention on physicians' job performance, job satisfaction, and burnout. We varied whether physicians received information about their preventive care performance compared to that of other physicians in the same health system. Our analyses reveal that our implementation of peer comparison did not significantly improve physicians' preventive care performance, but it did significantly decrease job satisfaction and increase burnout, with the effect on job satisfaction persisting for at least 4 mo after the intervention had been discontinued. Quantitative and qualitative evidence on the mechanisms underlying these unanticipated negative effects suggest that the intervention inadvertently signaled a lack of support from leadership. Consistent with this account, providing leaders with training on how to support physicians mitigated the negative effects on well-being. Our research uncovers a critical potential downside of peer comparison interventions, highlights the importance of evaluating the psychological costs of behavioral interventions, and points to how a complementary intervention-leadership support training-can mitigate these costs.

In any institution of learning, the true prove of any student’s performance is the level of academic achievement grade which may be a product of many independent variables. On the other hand, an impaired academic achievement motivation more often than not may portend danger on the learning outcome and intellectual well being of such student(s). This study therefore investigated the relationship between academic self-efficacy, peer group and examination anxiety with academic achievement drive of library and information science students. The study used descriptive survey research design and guided by three research questions as well as three formulated and tested hypothesis. Data were collected through four validated instruments from 399 library and information science students randomly selected from universities in Nigeria. Data collected were analyzed using Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) at P>0.05 level of significance. The outcome of the study revealed that the independent variables (academic self-efficacy, peer influence and examination anxiety) have statistical significant influence on academic achievement drive of library and information science students. To this end, it was recommended among other things, that students should believe in their ability to excel, should as a matter of necessity take their studies seriously, form good study habit and set for themselves SMART goals that can spur them into developing positive academic achievement drive for academic excellence.

Adolescent drinking remains a prominent public health and socioeconomic issue in the USA with costly consequences. While numerous drinking intervention programs have been developed, there is little guidance whether certain strategies of participant recruitment are more effective than others. The current study aims at addressing this gap in the literature using a computer simulation approach, a more cost-effective method than employing actual interventions. We first estimate stochastic actor-oriented models for two schools from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). We then employ different strategies for selecting adolescents for the intervention (either based on their drinking levels or their positions in the school network) and simulate the estimated model forward in time to assess the aggregated level of drinking in the school at a later time point. The results suggest that selecting moderate or heavy drinkers for the intervention produces better results compared to selecting casual or light drinkers. The intervention results are improved further if network position information is taken into account, as selecting drinking adolescents with higher in-degree or higher eigenvector centrality values for intervention yields the best results. Results from this study help elucidate participant selection criteria and targeted network intervention strategies for drinking intervention programs in the USA.

Policymakers and business leaders often use peer comparison information-showing people how their behavior compares to that of their peers-to motivate a range of behaviors. Despite their widespread use, the potential impact of peer comparison interventions on recipients' well-being is largely unknown. We conducted a 5-mo field experiment involving 199 primary care physicians and 46,631 patients to examine the impact of a peer comparison intervention on physicians' job performance, job satisfaction, and burnout. We varied whether physicians received information about their preventive care performance compared to that of other physicians in the same health system. Our analyses reveal that our implementation of peer comparison did not significantly improve physicians' preventive care performance, but it did significantly decrease job satisfaction and increase burnout, with the effect on job satisfaction persisting for at least 4 mo after the intervention had been discontinued. Quantitative and qualitative evidence on the mechanisms underlying these unanticipated negative effects suggest that the intervention inadvertently signaled a lack of support from leadership. Consistent with this account, providing leaders with training on how to support physicians mitigated the negative effects on well-being. Our research uncovers a critical potential downside of peer comparison interventions, highlights the importance of evaluating the psychological costs of behavioral interventions, and points to how a complementary intervention-leadership support training-can mitigate these costs.

Children’s belief in the malleability of intelligence, known as growth mindset, has been shown to predict numerous academic outcomes. Much attention has focused on the role of parents and teachers in the socialization of growth mindsets, while less research has examined children’s peers. The influence of peers on children’s academic functioning is well-documented, particularly during adolescence when children spend more time with their peers and look to them as reference points in order to gauge their own academic competence. However, such social comparison processes may be detrimental to students’ academic self-perceptions and achievement, and their impact may depend on students’ implicit beliefs about intelligence. Although there is growing attention on the role of peers in mindset socialization as well as past literature demonstrating the effect of peer mindsets on students’ learning outcomes, the simultaneous consideration of peers’ beliefs about intelligence and social comparison influences has yet to be studied. This dissertation investigated the interplay between these two constructs and their effects on adolescents’ motivational and academic outcomes using an online experimental paradigm to manipulate perceptions of peers’ mindsets and competence. Participants (N = 120) heard statements reflecting different types of mindsets from purported peers, completed a series of surveys and activities, and received feedback on their and their peers’ performance via a virtual leaderboard to induce social comparison. Results showed various main effects of the growth mindset and social comparison manipulations, but no interactive effects. Regardless of social comparison condition, growth mindset peers increased adolescents’ learning conducive perceptions of themselves and both their self-reported and objective learning outcomes, while social comparison dampened learning conducive perceptions. The effects of peer growth mindset were partially explained by perceptions of pe

Impulsive and risky decision-making have been linked to dangerous driving, substance use, gambling, overspending, and general delinquency. The aim of the series of studies presented in this thesis was to gain an understanding into contextual factors that influence decision-making, focusing on the effects of peers, age, and gender. Article 1 (Chapter 2) reports on a single study where participants completed a delay-discounting task either alone, or in the presence of a same-aged peer of the same gender. Those in the peer condition exhibited significantly greater rates of discounting compared to those alone when comparing the area under the curve; however, there was no significant difference between the discount rates (k) between those in the peer condition and those in the alone condition. Due to difficulty with recruitment, we had a small sample, therefore, these results should be interpreted with caution. Article 2 (Chapter 3) presents two studies which examine the difference between peer presence, and peer influence (when peers provide an opinion) on risk-taking. In both studies, we used three hypothetical probabilistic-discounting scenarios to examine risk-taking. The first study investigated risk-taking under three conditions: peer absence, peer presence, and negative peer influence (risk-promoting peer). The second study added a fourth condition, positive peer influence (risk-averse peer), to examine whether positive peer influence was more like peer absence, or peer presence. Both studies showed that participants exhibited the greatest amount of risk-taking in the negative peer-influence condition, compared to both the peer-present and peer-absent conditions. Risk-taking was also greater in the peer-present condition compared to in the peer-absent condition. Therefore, both the presence and negative influence of peers increased risk-taking. The results of the second study in Article 2 extended our findings, showing that positive peer influence resulted in the

ObjectiveTo investigate what social, psychological, personality, and behavioral factors affect overtime heart rate changes of college students. Participants: The daily heart rates of over 600 undergraduates at the University of Notre Dame were unobtrusively recorded via Fitbit devices from August 16, 2015, to May 13, 2017. Method: Latent Growth-Curve modeling strategy is utilized to examine how daily mean heart rate and its standard deviation change over time, and what foregoing factors predict observed changes. Results: The mean heart rate increased and its standard deviation stayed the same over the 637 days. Heart rate levels go up with that of social contacts, an indicator of peer influence. Both daily heart rate levels and changes are also affected by multiple external factors. Conclusion: Human heart rate is not only a physiological phenomenon but also a social-psychological one, as it is systematically affected by peer networks, social contexts, and human activities.

Despite well-documented health benefits from exercise, a study on national trends in achieving the recommended minutes of physical activity guidelines has not improved since the guidelines were published in 2008. Peer interactions have been identified as a critical factor for increasing a population's physical activity. The objective of this study is for establishing criteria for social influences on physical activity for establishing criteria that lead to exercise persistence. A system of differential equations was developed that projects exercise trends over time. The system includes both social and non-social influences that impact changes in physical activity habits and establishes quantitative conditions that delineate population-wide persistence habits from domination of sedentary behavior. The model was generally designed with parameter values that can be estimated to data. Complete absence of social or peer influences resulted in long-term dominance of sedentary behavior and a decline of physically active populations. Social interactions between sedentary and moderately active populations were the most important social parameter that influenced low active populations to become and remain physically active. On the other hand, social interactions encouraging moderately active individuals to become sedentary drove exercise persistence to extinction. Communities should focus on increasing social interactions between sedentary and moderately active individuals to draw sedentary populations to become more active. Additionally, reducing opportunities for moderately active individuals to engage with sedentary individuals through sedentary social activities should be addressed.

Happiness is a valuable experience, and societies want their citizens to be happy. Although this societal commitment seems laudable, overly emphasizing positivity (versus negativity) may create an unattainable emotion norm that ironically compromises individual well-being. In this multi-national study (40 countries; 7443 participants), we investigate how societal pressure to be happy and not sad predicts emotional, cognitive and clinical indicators of well-being around the world, and examine how these relations differ as a function of countries' national happiness levels (collected from the World Happiness Report). Although detrimental well-being associations manifest for an average country, the strength of these relations varies across countries. People's felt societal pressure to be happy and not sad is particularly linked to poor well-being in countries with a higher World Happiness Index. Although the cross-sectional nature of our work prohibits causal conclusions, our findings highlight the correlational link between social emotion valuation and individual well-being, and suggest that high national happiness levels may have downsides for some.

The rise of crime committed by young offenders in South Africa has become a major concern (Pelser 2008:1). The Mentz community – a small township situated in GaMamabolo - likewise experiences high levels of crime and violence, much of which is committed by young, unemployed offenders. Although the findings in this research are not necessarily applicable to other places in South Africa, it is the researcher’s opinion that the situation in Mentz Village is representative of many other places in this country, especially in rural areas. This study investigated crime among the youth in Mentz Village and focused on factors that contribute to crime among the youth. Qualitative methodology had been employed in this study and case studies, together with semi-structured interviews, were used to obtain information. Keywords: Youth crime, Mentz Village, unemployment, fatherlessness, quiting school, alcohol and drug abuse, police corruption, peer influence, Self confessed criminals.

The current dissertation focused on the effectiveness of universal school-based interventions in improving students’ competencies and preventing problems in the intrapersonal (i.e., feelings, emotions, and attitudes about the self) and interpersonal (i.e., the ability to build and maintain positive relationships with others, to understand social situations, roles and norms, and to respond appropriately) domain. I examined 1) the effectiveness of a specific intervention, Rock and Water (R&W) through a Randomized Controlled Trial, and of universal school-based interventions in general through a meta-analysis, 2) whether intervention dosage and students’ personality traits affected intervention effects, and 3) mechanisms of change and intervention components of universal school-based interventions. Concerning the first aim, universal school-based interventions showed small positive effects in both the intra- and interpersonal domain. Intervention effects found in R&W were comparable in magnitude to the effects found for these interventions in general, with strongest intervention effects in the intrapersonal domain. Regarding specific competencies, universal school-based interventions, including R&W, appear unable to improve students’ resilience even though many of these interventions aim to improve this competency. With respect to the second aim, examining intervention dosage showed that R&W was only effective when few teachers were involved. Additionally, students improved most during the first part of the intervention. Hence, the first year might be sufficient to establish change in the assessed competencies and problems. Together these findings imply that for some interventions “less is more”. Regarding students’ personality, the effectiveness of R&W was only little affected by students’ personality traits confirming the universal nature of the intervention. However, three moderation patterns did emerge. First, more vulnerable students –based on

Experiences with classmates can affect adolescents’ academic, emotional, and social development. The aim was to examine whether changes in classmates’ modeling and reinforcement, induced by an intervention, affected changes in adolescents’ perceived classroom peer context and whether these associations were moderated by dyadic mutuality. Questionnaires and observations were used in a sample of 7th Grade students (N = 152; Mage = 12.37; 53.8% boys). Generally, changes in classmates’ modeling and reinforcement were unrelated to adolescents’ perceived classroom peer context, except for classmates’ prosocial modeling. Increases in prosocial modeling were related to decreases in victimization, especially for dyads with high levels of mutuality. The results suggest that classmates’ prosocial modeling may be more important for the perceived classroom peer context than classmates’ deviant modeling.

Background: There is a need to develop and improve interventions promoting healthy drinking behaviors among children. A promising method could be to stimulate peer influence within children’s social networks. In the Share H2O social network intervention (SNI), peer influence was utilized by selecting a subset of influential children and training them as ‘influence agents’ to promote water consumption—as an alternative to SSBs. Previous research has mainly focused on the process of selecting influence agents. However, the process of motivating influence agents to promote the behavior has hardly received any research attention. Therefore, in the SNI Share H2O SNI, this motivation process was emphasized and grounded in the self-determination th

The aim of this study was to examine, through the roles of peers with regards to diabetes, the relationship between the support perceived by adolescents with diabetes and their peer-group affiliation. This is a descriptive, phenomenological and retrospective study based on a qualitative methodology. In-depth interviews with 15 people aged 18–35 with type 1 diabetes mellitus diagnosed in their childhood or adolescence were carried out. Data was analyzed through the interpretation of general discourses. Peers have considerable influence on adolescents and provide them social support from different roles. The protective role basically offers emotional support and sends reminders of different aspects of the treatment, while the indifferent role does not meddle in any aspect related to the diabetes. Both roles can foster social integration of adolescents with diabetes into the peer group. The offender role creates social conflicts through discrimination and stigma of adolescents with diabetes. These roles appear during the process of socialization of adolescents with diabetes, where commensality and situations of self-monitoring or administering insulin, key aspect of diabetes treatment, are crucial. Peer groups, depending on the role adopted, may offer support or bring a specific conflict regarding diabetes to their adolescent peer. The combination of roles that friends and peer group play with regards to diabetes will determine the degree of socialization and integration of adolescents with diabetes

Background: There is a need to develop and improve interventions promoting healthy drinking behaviors among children. A promising method could be to stimulate peer influence within children’s social networks. In the Share H2O social network intervention (SNI), peer influence was utilized by selecting a subset of influential children and training them as ‘influence agents’ to promote water consumption—as an alternative to SSBs. Previous research has mainly focused on the process of selecting influence agents. However, the process of motivating influence agents to promote the behavior has hardly received any research attention. Therefore, in the SNI Share H2O SNI, this motivation process was emphasized and grounded in the self-determination th

The aim of this study was to examine, through the roles of peers with regards to diabetes, the relationship between the support perceived by adolescents with diabetes and their peer-group affiliation. This is a descriptive, phenomenological and retrospective study based on a qualitative methodology. In-depth interviews with 15 people aged 18–35 with type 1 diabetes mellitus diagnosed in their childhood or adolescence were carried out. Data was analyzed through the interpretation of general discourses. Peers have considerable influence on adolescents and provide them social support from different roles. The protective role basically offers emotional support and sends reminders of different aspects of the treatment, while the indifferent role does not meddle in any aspect related to the diabetes. Both roles can foster social integration of adolescents with diabetes into the peer group. The offender role creates social conflicts through discrimination and stigma of adolescents with diabetes. These roles appear during the process of socialization of adolescents with diabetes, where commensality and situations of self-monitoring or administering insulin, key aspect of diabetes treatment, are crucial. Peer groups, depending on the role adopted, may offer support or bring a specific conflict regarding diabetes to their adolescent peer. The combination of roles that friends and peer group play with regards to diabetes will determine the degree of socialization and integration of adolescents with diabetes

© 2021 There is a growing expectation that doctoral candidates and early career academics publish research outputs such as journal articles and conference papers, and that they share their findings with key stakeholders beyond academia. However, it is not known if these expectations are being coupled with support from mentors and peers within institutions. Through interviews with recent PhD graduates working as early career researchers in Australia and Japan, this paper investigates if mentor and peer support for producing both academic and translational outputs was forthcoming during their doctoral candidature and beyond. It also investigates kinds of supports provided in doctoral candidature and early career. Thirty early career researchers in Australia and Japan took part in this qualitative study involving in-depth semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of respondents. Researchers made translation support available for Japanese respondents so that those with limited English could take part. Findings suggest that mentor and peer support were not universal, and some respondents did not have a mentor or significant peer influence supporting their production of academic or translational research outputs. Support for sharing research with audiences beyond academia could be limited, with production of outputs for academic audiences consistently a greater focus of support. There were no mentoring supports for translational outputs that had salience across Australia and Japan within the sample. While limited attention has been given to the role that peer influence may play in supporting research output production of early career researchers the more even power relationship between peers as opposed to the peer-/mentor dyad can allow unique supports to flourish. Where institutions expect growing and diverse research output production by doctoral candidates and early career researchers, they should also ensure that support is provided through facilitating mento

This handbook examines positive youth development (PYD) in youth and emerging adults from an international perspective. It focuses on large and underrepresented cultural groups across six continents within a strengths-based conception of adolescence that considers all youth as having assets. The volume explores the ways in which developmental assets, when effectively harnessed, empower youth to transition into a productive and resourceful adulthood. The book focuses on PYD across vast geographical regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Latin America as well as on strengths and resources for optimal well-being. The handbook addresses the positive development of young people across various cultural contexts to advance research, policy, and practice and inform interventions that foster continued thriving and reduce the chances of compromised youth development. It presents theoretical perspectives and supporting empirical findings to promote a more comprehensive understanding of PYD from an integrated, multidisciplinary, and multinational perspective. The Handbook of Positive Youth Development in a Global Context is an essential resource for researchers, professors, and graduate students as well as clinicians, therapists, and other professionals in developmental, clinical child, and school psychology, public health and prevention science, family studies, cross-cultural psychology, child and adolescent psychiatry, social work, educational policy and politics, anthropology, sociology, social psychology and all interrelated disciplines.

The aim of this study was to examine, through the roles of peers with regards to diabetes, the relationship between the support perceived by adolescents with diabetes and their peer-group affiliation. This is a descriptive, phenomenological and retrospective study based on a qualitative methodology. In-depth interviews with 15 people aged 18–35 with type 1 diabetes mellitus diagnosed in their childhood or adolescence were carried out. Data was analyzed through the interpretation of general discourses. Peers have considerable influence on adolescents and provide them social support from different roles. The protective role basically offers emotional support and sends reminders of different aspects of the treatment, while the indifferent role does not meddle in any aspect related to the diabetes. Both roles can foster social integration of adolescents with diabetes into the peer group. The offender role creates social conflicts through discrimination and stigma of adolescents with diabetes. These roles appear during the process of socialization of adolescents with diabetes, where commensality and situations of self-monitoring or administering insulin, key aspect of diabetes treatment, are crucial. Peer groups, depending on the role adopted, may offer support or bring a specific conflict regarding diabetes to their adolescent peer. The combination of roles that friends and peer group play with regards to diabetes will determine the degree of socialization and integration of adolescents with diabetes

This study aimed to examine the external and internal factors which influence Swedish upper secondary school students’ choices regarding their educational path. These factors included parental influence, peer influence, expectations, and internal motivations which may influence the students’ choices. The set hypotheses for the study were: parental occupation does not influence the child’s choice of school program, a correlation exists between the parents’ highest educational level and the students’ ambitions to pursue higher education, and lastly, factors including family, friends and internal motivations have some influence on students’ choices regarding education and occupation. The data was collected by the use of a questionnaire specifically made for this study and the participants included Swedish students (n=108) who studied in the counties of Uppsala and Stockholm. The results showed no correlations between the parents’ highest educational level and the students’ choices. However, the results showed correlations between ambitions regarding higher education and three variables regarding current studies, school assignments and positive parental expectations. Therefore, conclusions were drawn that both internal motivation and external factors, such as parents, influence the students’ choices regarding education to different extents., Syftet för denna studie var att undersöka de externa och interna faktorer som kan påverka svenska gymnasieelevers utbildningsval. Dessa faktorer inkluderade påverkan från föräldrar och vänner, förväntningar samt interna motivationer som kan påverka elevers val. De uppsatta hypoteserna för studien var: föräldrars val av yrke har inte någon påverkan på vad deras barn väljer för program, det finns ett samband mellan föräldrarnas val att genomföra en eftergymnasial utbildning och barnets strävan att göra detsamma och slutligen har faktorer som vänner och familj, förväntningar på eleven samt individens inre motivationer en påverkan på elevers utbildningsval. Datainsamlingen gjordes med hjälp av ett frågeformulär som skapades specifikt för denna studie. Deltagandet bestod av svenska gymnasieelever (n=108) som studerade i Uppsala och Stockholms län. Resultaten visade inga korrelationer mellan föräldrarnas högsta utbildningsnivå och elevernas utbildningsval. Resultaten visade dock korrelationer mellan elevernas ställningstagande gällande framtida studier och tre variabler som innefattade anledningar till nuvarande studier, syfte med skoluppgifter och positiva förväntningar samt att dessa förväntning påverkade eleverna på olika sätt. Slutsatserna drogs därför att både intern och extern motivation påverkade elevernas utbildningsval till olika grad.

The aim of this study was to examine, through the roles of peers with regards to diabetes, the relationship between the support perceived by adolescents with diabetes and their peer-group affiliation. This is a descriptive, phenomenological and retrospective study based on a qualitative methodology. In-depth interviews with 15 people aged 18–35 with type 1 diabetes mellitus diagnosed in their childhood or adolescence were carried out. Data was analyzed through the interpretation of general discourses. Peers have considerable influence on adolescents and provide them social support from different roles. The protective role basically offers emotional support and sends reminders of different aspects of the treatment, while the indifferent role does not meddle in any aspect related to the diabetes. Both roles can foster social integration of adolescents with diabetes into the peer group. The offender role creates social conflicts through discrimination and stigma of adolescents with diabetes. These roles appear during the process of socialization of adolescents with diabetes, where commensality and situations of self-monitoring or administering insulin, key aspect of diabetes treatment, are crucial. Peer groups, depending on the role adopted, may offer support or bring a specific conflict regarding diabetes to their adolescent peer. The combination of roles that friends and peer group play with regards to diabetes will determine the degree of socialization and integration of adolescents with diabetes

Young adults are acutely sensitive to peer influences. Differences have been found in neural sensitivity to explicit peer influences, such as seeing peer ratings on social media. The present study aimed to identify patterns of neural sensitivity to implicit peer influences, which involve more subtle cues that shape preferences and behaviors. Participants were 43 young adults (MAge = 19.2 years; 24 males) who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while completing a task used to assess neural responses to implicitly "socially tagged" symbols (previously judged by peers as liked vs. not liked, thus differing in apparent popularity) vs. novel symbols that carried no social meaning (not judged by peers). Results indicated greater activity in brain regions involved in salience detection (e.g., anterior cingulate cortex) and reward processing (e.g., caudate) to socially tagged vs. novel symbols, and particularly to unpopular symbols. Greater self-reported susceptibility to peer influence was related to more activity in the insula and caudate when viewing socially tagged vs. novel symbols. These results suggest that the brain is sensitive to even subtle cues varying in level of peer endorsement and neural sensitivity differed by the tendency to conform to peers' behaviors particularly in regions implicated in social motivation.

Public health researchers and social scientists highlight the promise of network-based strategies to inform and enhance interventions that curb risky adolescent health behaviors. However, we currently lack an understanding of how different variants of network-based interventions shape the distribution of targeted behaviors. The current project considers the effectiveness of five targeting strategies that are designed to have differential impacts on the health of program participants versus non-participants. Using simulations that are empirically-grounded in 28 observed school-based networks from the PROSPER study, we evaluate how these approaches shape long-term alcohol use for intervention participants and non-participants, separately, and consider whether contextual factors moderate their success. Findings suggest that enrolling well-connected adolescents results in the lowest drinking levels for non-participants, while strategies that target groups of friends excel at protecting participants from harmful influences. These trends become increasingly pronounced in contexts characterized by higher levels of peer influence.

BackgroundSleep duration and quality are associated with physical and mental wellbeing. This paper examines social network effects on individual level change in the sleep quantity and quality from late adolescence to emerging adulthood and its associated factors, including the influence of peers on sleep behavior and the impact of changes in network size.MethodsWe use sleep data from 619 undergraduates at the University of Notre Dame obtained via Fitbit devices as part of the NetHealth project. The data were collected between August 16, 2015 and May 13, 2017. We model trends in sleep behaviors using latent growth-curve models.ResultsControlling for the many factors known to impact sleep quantity and quality, we find two social network effects: increasing network size is associated with less sleep and a student's sleep levels are influenced by his or her peers. While we do not find any consistent decline in sleep quantity over the 637 days, daily fluctuations in sleep quantity are associated with changes in network size and the composition of a student's network. As a student's network gets bigger, s/he sleeps less, and when a student's contacts sleep more (or less) than s/he does, the student becomes more like his or her contacts and sleeps more (or less).ConclusionsSocial networks can and do impact sleep, especially sleep quantity. In contexts where students want to have larger networks, the difficulties of increasing network size and maintaining larger networks negatively impact sleep. Because of peer influence, the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve sleep practices could be increased by leveraging student social networks to help diffuse better sleep habits.

The following research was developed aiming to analyze the individual and relational factors that affect the adolescent perception of sexual behavior. The study was conducted with a mixed approach with qualitative and quantitative analysis. The sample was composed of 313 junior high school adolescents. Poor family functioning, low resistance to peer influence and less egalitarian gender ideology are related to being sexually active, while a low religiosity, high resistance to peer influence and a high egalitarian gender ideology are linked to a high sexual resilience. There were differences between the adolescents according to sociodemographic variables. The psychological meaning of teenage pregnancy implied responsibility, baby, abortion, irresponsibility; safe sex was a synonym of condom. There is a relationship between some measured variables with sexual resilience, being that the effect is clear with the individual factors; sexual education implications are discussed., El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar factores socioculturales que repercuten en la percepción de conductas sexuales. El estudio tiene un enfoque mixto, con análisis cuali-cuantitativo. Participaron 313 adolescentes de tercer año de secundaria. Un bajo funcionamiento familiar, una baja resistencia a la influencia de pares y una adherencia ideológica a los roles de género tradicionales se relacionaron con ser sexualmente activos, mientras que una baja religiosidad, una alta resistencia a la influencia de pares y una ideología de género más igualitaria, con una alta resiliencia sexual. Hubo diferencias entre los adolescentes conforme a variables sociodemográficas. En cuanto al significado psicológico, el embarazo adolescente se identificó responsabilidad, bebé, aborto e irresponsabilidad, y sexo seguro fue sinónimo de condón. Se concluye que sí existe relación de variables medidas con la resiliencia sexual, particularmente con los factores individuales; sus implicaciones para la educación sexual son discutidas.

Although many studies show that peers influence the development of adolescent internalizing and externalizing difficulties, few have considered both internalizing and externalizing difficulties in the same study, and fewer have considered the contributions of parents. Using a longitudinal sample of 385 adolescents, the contributions of best friends’ internalizing and externalizing difficulties (as assessed in Grade 6; G6: Mage = 13.64 years; 53% female; 40% ethnic or racial minority) were examined as they predicted subsequent adolescent internalizing and externalizing difficulties (at G8); in addition, the moderating role of both maternal and paternal support (at G6) was explored. Structural equation modelling revealed that best friend internalizing difficulties predicted decreases, but that best friend externalizing difficulties predicted increases in adolescents’ externalizing difficulties over time. Significant interactions involving both maternal and paternal support revealed that the negative impact of a G6 best friend having internalizing problems on later G8 adolescent externalizing problems was stronger at low levels of maternal and paternal support. The findings highlight the complex, and interactive, influences of friends and parents on the development of internalizing and externalizing symptomatology during adolescence, and underscore the importance of targeting both sources of social influence in research and clinical work.

The aim of this study was to examine, through the roles of peers with regards to diabetes, the relationship between the support perceived by adolescents with diabetes and their peer-group affiliation. This is a descriptive, phenomenological and retrospective study based on a qualitative methodology. In-depth interviews with 15 people aged 18–35 with type 1 diabetes mellitus diagnosed in their childhood or adolescence were carried out. Data was analyzed through the interpretation of general discourses. Peers have considerable influence on adolescents and provide them social support from different roles. The protective role basically offers emotional support and sends reminders of different aspects of the treatment, while the indifferent role does not meddle in any aspect related to the diabetes. Both roles can foster social integration of adolescents with diabetes into the peer group. The offender role creates social conflicts through discrimination and stigma of adolescents with diabetes. These roles appear during the process of socialization of adolescents with diabetes, where commensality and situations of self-monitoring or administering insulin, key aspect of diabetes treatment, are crucial. Peer groups, depending on the role adopted, may offer support or bring a specific conflict regarding diabetes to their adolescent peer. The combination of roles that friends and peer group play with regards to diabetes will determine the degree of socialization and integration of adolescents with diabetes