Positive Peer Group Affiliation, Puberty, and Social and Emotional Development: A Strength-Based Approach

During the pubertal transition, peer relationships become increasingly salient for adolescents' social and emotional development. However, research on peer contexts during this period has largely emphasized deviant peer groups, leaving the potential role of positive peer affiliations less understood. The present study examined whether positive peer group affiliation mediated associations between pubertal development and social and emotional development.

Data were drawn from 1364 youth in the United States (48% female; 76% White; M age = 9.32 years, SD = 0.48 at Wave 3) participating in Grades 4 through 6 of Phase III of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Latent growth curve models were used to examine associations among pubertal timing and tempo, positive peer group affiliation, and social and emotional development.

Exploratory sex-stratified estimates suggested that earlier pubertal timing was associated with lower initial levels of social and emotional development among boys, but not girls. Across groups, positive peer group affiliation was associated with higher initial levels of social and emotional functioning. Mediation models indicated that pubertal timing was associated with lower positive peer group affiliation for boys, whereas pubertal tempo was associated with declines in peer affiliation over time for girls. However, there was limited evidence that pubertal development or peer affiliation predicted change in social and emotional development over time.

Findings suggest that positive peer group affiliation is linked to concurrent social and emotional functioning but does not appear to mediate longitudinal associations between puberty and adjustment.