Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Social Defeat Stress Model for Adolescent C57BL/6 Male and Female Mice
Published on: March 15, 2024
Attachment organization as a moderator of the link between friendship quality and adolescent delinquency
Kathleen Boykin McElhaney1, Annalies Immele, Felicia D Smith
1Department of Psychology, Davidson College, NC 28035-7109, USA. kamcelhaney@davidson.edu
Abstract:
This study examined attachment organization as a moderator of the link between the quality of the adolescents' current friendships and delinquent behavior. Data were gathered from a moderately at-risk sample of 71 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse adolescents. Results revealed a moderating effect of attachment organization (as assessed by the AAI) such that strong and supportive friendships were linked to lower levels of delinquency, but only when adolescents' attachment organization reflected an orientation toward heightened attention to attachment relationships (via preoccupation or via clear lack of dismissal of attachment). These results suggest that attachment organization plays an important role in delineating the conditions under which the qualities of social relationships are likely to be linked to important psychosocial outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
Friendships and Close Friendships
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation
Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings
Importance of Need for Affiliation
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification