Jill Antonishak, Ph.D. F. Christy McFarland Joseph P. Allen, Ph.D. University of Virginia

1. Social Competencies and Peer Relationships:Longitudinal Associations with Peer Group and Adolescent Aggression Jill Antonishak, Ph.D. F. Christy McFarland Joseph P. Allen, Ph.D. University of Virginia Collaborators: Joanna Chango Amanda Hare Kathleen B. McElhaney, Ph.D. Jennifer Haynes Nell Manning Jessica Meyer Erin Miga Claire Stephenson

2. Dual processes of similarity to peers • Similarity to peers likely due to two processes • Selection of similar friends • Influence of peers • Development of aggression and association with aggressive peers • Potential mediating relationship of social competencies

3. Current study • Examine pathways of influence between social competencies, peer group characteristics, and aggression • Consider reciprocal relationships and peer group and individual competencies as a dynamic system • Normative sample with a focus on aggressive behaviors

4. Participants • 184 participants (and three of their peers) • Equal number of males and females • Assessed annually beginning at age 13 (for four years) • Socio-economically diverse (median income=$40-60,000) • 31% African American; 69% Caucasian

5. Measures • Supportive Behavior Task (Allen et al., 2003) • 6-minute videotaped interaction between adolescent and best friend • Discussion of adolescent’s problem • Connection/warmth factor • Ability to engage with their friend • Ability to demonstrate they value and care about their friend

6. Measures • Aggression • Youth Self-Report(Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1983) • Aggression subscale(for example—is mean to others, gets in many fights, threatens people, etc) • Teen report • Peer report (friends from larger peer group)

7. Reciprocal relationships • Latent difference score models (McArdle & Hamagami, 2001) • Considers changes within a variable and the time-ordered relationships between variables • How is affiliation with aggressive peers related to teen’s aggression and vice versa? • Dynamic relationships between one variable and change in another variable

8. ey y1 y2 y3 y4 y1 y2 y3 y4 y0 Δy2 Δy3 Δy4 σx0,y0 Δx2 Δx3 Δx4 x0 x1 x2 x3 x4 x1 x2 x3 x4 ex

9. ey y1 y2 y3 y4 y1 y2 y3 y4 y0 Δy2 Δy3 Δy4 σx0,y0 Δx2 Δx3 Δx4 x0 x1 x2 x3 x4 x1 x2 x3 x4 ex

10. ey y1 y2 y3 y4 y1 y2 y3 y4 y0* y0 σy0,xs Δy2 Δy3 Δy4 αy ys* ys σx0,y0 K xs αx xs* Δx2 Δx3 Δx4 σx0,ys x0 x0* x1 x2 x3 x4 x1 x2 x3 x4 ex

11. ey y1 y2 y3 y4 y1 y2 y3 y4 y0* βy βy βy y0 σy0,xs Δy2 Δy3 Δy4 αy ys* ys σx0,y0 K xs αx xs* Δx2 Δx3 Δx4 σx0,ys x0 βx βx βx x0* x1 x2 x3 x4 x1 x2 x3 x4 ex

12. σy y1 y2 y3 y4 y1 y2 y3 y4 y0* βy βy βy y0 σy0,xs Δy2 Δy3 Δy4 αy ys* ys γy γy γy K xs αx xs* Δx2 Δx3 Δx4 σx0,ys x0 βx βx βx x0* x1 x2 x3 x4 x1 x2 x3 x4 ex σx0,y0

13. ey y1 y2 y3 y4 y1 y2 y3 y4 y0* βy βy βy y0 σy0,xs Δy2 Δy3 Δy4 αy ys* γx γx ys γx σx0,y0 K xs αx xs* Δx2 Δx3 Δx4 σx0,ys x0 βx βx βx x0* x1 x2 x3 x4 x1 x2 x3 x4 ex

14. ey y1 y2 y3 y4 y1 y2 y3 y4 y0* βy βy βy y0 σy0,xs Δy2 Δy3 Δy4 αy ys* γx γx ys γx γy γy γy σx0,y0 K xs αx xs* Δx2 Δx3 Δx4 σx0,ys x0 βx βx βx x0* x1 x2 x3 x4 x1 x2 x3 x4 ex

15. Aggression and affiliation with aggressive peers Teen aggression ΔTeen aggression Aggression Affiliation with aggressive peers .60** .24t Affiliation With aggressive peers ΔAffiliation with aggressive peers CFI=.93, RMSEA=.06

16. How do friendship competencies relate to changes in aggression?

17. Warmth and adolescent aggression Teen aggression ΔTeen aggression Aggression Lack of warmth and connection .43* .34* Lack of warmth & connection ΔLack of warmth & connection CFI=.95, RMSEA=.03

18. Warmth and teen’s aggression Aggressive peers ΔAggressive peers Affiliation with aggressive peers Lack of warmth and connection .29* .37* Lack of warmth & connection ΔLack of warmth & connection CFI=.94, RMSEA=.03

19. Pathways Teen Aggression Affiliation with aggressive peers

20. Pathways Lack of warmth & connection Teen Aggression Affiliation with aggressive peers

21. Conclusions • Social competencies play an important role in linking aggression and affiliation with aggressive peers. • Social information processing (Dodge et al, 2003) • “Deviancy training” • Support for transactional framework and self-perpetuating cycle • Point of intervention

22. For copies of related papers: www.teenresearch.org Acknowledgements: We would like to thank the National Institute of Mental Health for funding awarded to Joseph P. Allen, Principal Investigator, (Grants #R01-MH44934, and R01-MH58066)