Can Peer Pressure Be A Good Thing? Megan M. Schad, Meredyth A. Evans, David E. Szwedo, Joseph P. Allen University of Virginia We would like to thank the National Institute of Mental Health for funding awarded to Joseph P. Allen, Principal Investigator, (R01-MH58066) for the conduct and write-up of this study. Introduction It has been well documented that peer pressure affects teens’ behavior. Many studies have shown how peer pressure causes teens to act in certain ways, especially with reference to delinquency, alcohol use, and other friendships (Berdt & Keefe, 1995; Pleydon & Schner, 2001). There is, however, a lack of longitudinal research examining peer pressure’s possible positive effects on adolescent friendships. Similarly, there is a lack of research linking peer pressure to other types of close relationships, such as parent-teen and romantic relationships. This study addresses these issues by employing longitudinal, multi-reporter data to examine the positive effects of peer pressure on adolescents’ relationships with their friends, romantic partners & parents. It is important to note that a specified form of peer pressure is being used in the current study, described as Pressure to Fit In. This pressure is focused on interpersonal aspects such as “getting ideas about how to act from their friends.” Specifically, the following questions will be addressed: Research Questions Does peer pressure positively affect close friendships later in adolescence? If so, does peer pressure also positively affect other close relationships, such as romantic relationships and parent-teen relationships, later in adolescence?  At Time 3, teens came in with their best friends as well as a subset of target teens also bringing in their romantic partners (N = 95). During this data collection, romantic partners’ report of teens’ use of negative strategies was collected as well as best friends’ perception of conflict resolution between them and the target teen. Measures Pressure to Fit In This scale was modeled off the Self-Perception Profile (Harter, 1998), and has adequate internal consistency (α =.61). This 16-item scale included items such as “Some teens do things just because other teens do them.” Positive Autonomy & Relatedness Target teens and mothers were asked to discuss an area of disagreement that the teen chose for 8 minutes and try to come to some agreement about the topic. The tape was coded for behaviors including validating mother's statements, being engaged (i.e. not distracted) with the task, and how easily the teen retorts (i.e. is the teen confident enough with the relationship to say how they feel with assurance?) (Allen et al. 1994). Network of Relationships Inventory Romantic partners reported on teen’s use of negative strategies on a 5-point Likert scale with higher scores indicating increases in negative strategies (Furman, 1996). The scale included 3 items. Friendship Quality Questionnaire Teen’s best friends at Time 3 were asked to report on teens’ conflict resolution. This was collected using the conflict and resolution scale from the Friendship Quality Questionnaire (Parker & Asher, 1993). This 3-item scale was reported on a 5-point Likert scale. Method ConclusionsResults Participants  184 teenagers along with their best friends, mothers, and romantic partners.  58% Caucasian, 29% African American, and 13% Mixed or Other ethnicity.  Average household income was within the $30,000 to $39,000 range.  Target teen mean age was 13.3 years at Time 1, 16.3 at Time 2, & 19.6 at Time 3. Procedures  At Time 1, target teens’ best friend reported on teens’ pressure to fit in.  At Time 2, target teens’ and their mothers were video taped discussing a topic of disagreement. This interaction was coded for behaviors which promote the autonomy of the relationships and encourage relatedness between the two. Table 1. Regression Analyses predicting Relationship Qualities for Friendships, Romantic Relationships, and Parental Relationships in Late Adolescence Best Friend Rpt of Romantic Partner + Observed Positive Autonomy Conflict Resolution Rpt of Neg Strategies & Relatedness to Mom β entry β final β entry β final β entry β final Step 1. Gender **.37*** Income.18* *.33 Step 2. Pressure to Fit In.29***.29*** -.28** -.28**.25***.25*** R 2 from Step 1..04*.08*.04* ΔR 2.08***.07**.16*** Final R 2.12***.15**.20*** _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Note. * p <.05. ** p <.01. *** p < N = 95, else N = 184 Results suggest that teens who feel greater pressure to fit in (as reported by teen’s best friend) during early adolescence (13-14 years in age), show more positive relationships with friends, romantic partners, and parents later in adolescence (18-19 years in age) (see Table 1). Specifically, teens feeling a greater pressure to fit in at age 14, displayed better conflict resolution skills in their friendships 5 years later. Similarly, teens who feel more pressure to fit in early on, are more likely to exhibit more positive autonomy and relatedness towards their mother, and to have romantic Figure 1. Pressure to Fit In Predicting Positive Interactions with Mother, Best Friends, and Romantic Partners. These findings suggest that feeling pressure to fit in during early adolescence may be adaptive to the development of positive peer, parent, and romantic relationships. Perhaps those teens who felt the greatest degree of pressure to fit in early on, chose to ameliorate such peer pressure by altering their behavior, thereby learning how to fit in and improve their relationships with their peers, and in turn, using those same socially adaptive tools to foster other positive close relationships with their parents and romantic partners. That is, teens who are able to learn how to interact positively with their friends can subsequently learn to cultivate positive relationships with others. Pressure to Fit In Observed Positive Autonomy & Relatedness to Mom Partner Report of Teens’ use of Negative Strategies Best Friend Report of Teens’ Conflict Resolution β =.25*** β = -.28** β =.29*** partners who report less use of negative relationship strategies from the teen in later adolescence (see Figure 1).