A Few Close Friends? Adolescent Friendships' Effect on Internalizing Symptoms Is Serially Mediated by Desire for More Friends and Social Goal Orientation.

ABSTRACT: Interpersonal connection is a fundamental human motivation, and the extent to which it is fulfilled is a strong predictor of symptoms of internalizing disorders such as social anxiety and depression, perhaps especially during the "social reorienting" period of adolescence. However, little is known about the contribution to this effect of the individual's social motivations, which are intensified during adolescence. Furthermore, social goal orientation - an individual's priorities and intentions in social interactions - is an important predictor of vulnerability to internalizing symptoms. Adolescents spend most of their waking lives in classrooms, bounded social networks with a limited pool of candidates for befriending. This study investigated whether friendships within one's class protect

SUBMITTER: Walsh RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10175381 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature