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Predicting Life Satisfaction During Middle Adulthood from Peer Relationships During Mid-Adolescence

  • Empirical Research
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Abstract

The immediate advantages of adolescent friendships and disadvantages of peer rejection are well documented, but there is little evidence that these effects extend into adulthood. This study tested the hypothesis that peer relationships during adolescence predict life satisfaction during middle adulthood, using data from a 30-year prospective longitudinal study. Participants included 996 (49.5 % female) 8th grade students from a community sample of Swedish youth. Self-reports of friendship and peer reports of rejection were obtained when participants were age 15. Self-reports of global life satisfaction and perceived relationship quality were collected at age 43 for women and age 48 for men. Path analyses tested a direct-effects model that examined links from adolescent friendship participation and peer rejection to middle adulthood outcomes, and a buffered-effects model that examined links from adolescent peer rejection to middle adulthood outcomes, separately for those with and without friends during adolescence. Strong support emerged for the buffered-effects model but not the direct-effects model. Adolescent friendship participation moderated associations between adolescent peer rejection and adult global life satisfaction and between adolescent peer rejection and adult perceived relationship quality such that peer rejection predicted poorer adult outcomes for youth without friends but not for youth with friends. The findings suggest that the risks of peer rejection—and benefits of friendship—extend from adolescence well into middle age.

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Acknowledgments

This study was made possible by access to data from the longitudinal research program Individual Development and Adaptation (IDA; scientific leaders Henrik and Anna-Karin Andershed). Data collections were supported by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation and the Swedish Social Research Council through research Grants to Lars R. Bergman. Support for the preparation of this manuscript was provided to Brett Laursen by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (MH58116) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (0923745). We would like to thank Ola Andersson for assistance with archival data.

Authors contributions

D.M. conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, performed the statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript; B.L. participated in study conception and design, interpretation of statistical analyses, and draft revisions; P.Z. participated in design and coordination of the study; L.B. was responsible for the planning, implementation, and financing of data collections. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, 3200 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33314, USA

    Donna Marion & Brett Laursen

  2. Psykologiska Institutionen, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Peter Zettergren & Lars R. Bergman

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  1. Donna Marion
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  2. Brett Laursen
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  3. Peter Zettergren
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  4. Lars R. Bergman
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Correspondence to Donna Marion.

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Marion, D., Laursen, B., Zettergren, P. et al. Predicting Life Satisfaction During Middle Adulthood from Peer Relationships During Mid-Adolescence. J Youth Adolescence 42, 1299–1307 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-9969-6

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