We examined in 100 girls whether girls' depression, loneliness, social anxiety, and perceived similarity were related to their cognitions of hypothetical friends (prosocial, withdrawn/ depressed, and aggressive). Depression, loneliness, and social anxiety were each related to various friend-related cognitions, but only social anxiety and loneliness had unique relations when these three internalizing problems were examined simultaneously and with perceived similarity. After accounting for the three internalizing constructs, perceived similarity was related to higher wanting to be friends with and perceived acceptance from all three hypothetical friends, lower not wanting aggressive girls as friends, and lower expected rejection by prosocial girls. Findings highlight the importance of perceived similarity, and the importance of examining depression, loneliness, and social anxiety simultaneously, when assessing girls' friendship-related cognitions.
Asher, S.R., & Paquette, J.A. (2003). Loneliness and peer relations in childhood. Current Directions in Psychological Science , 12, 75-78.
3.
Bell-Dolan, D.J., Reaven, N.M., & Peterson, L. (1993). Depression and social functioning: A multidimensional study of linkages. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 22, 306-315.
4.
Cacioppo, J.T., & Berntson, G.G. (1994). Relationship between attitudes and evaluative space: A critical review, with emphasis on the separability of positive and negative substrates. Psychological Bulletin , 115, 401-423.
5.
Cacioppo, J.T., Gardner, W.L., & Berntson, G.G. (1997). Beyond bipolar conceptualizations and measures: The case of attitudes and evaluative space. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 1, 3-25.
6.
Cartwright-Hatton, S.,Tschernitz, N., & Gomersall, H. (2003). Social anxiety in children: Social skills deficit, or cognitive distortion? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43, 131-141.
7.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum .
8.
Connolly, J., Geller, S., Marton, P., & Kutcher, S. (1992). Peer responses to social interaction with depressed adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 4, 365-370.
9.
Crick, N.R., & Ladd, G.W. (1993). Children's perceptions of their peer experiences: Attributions, loneliness, social anxiety, and social avoidance. Developmental Psychology, 29, 244-254.
10.
Dodge, K.A. (1993). Social-cognitive mechanisms in the development of conduct disorder and depression. Annual Review of Psychology , 44, 559-584.
11.
Eisenberg, N., Fabes, R.A., & Karbon, M. (1996). The relations of children's dispositional prosocial behavior to emotionality, regulation, and social functioning. Child Development, 67, 974-992.
12.
Epkins, C.C. (1996). Affective confounding in social anxiety and dysphoria in children: Child, mother, and father reports of internalizing behaviors, social problems and competence domains. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 15, 449-470.
13.
Epkins, C.C. (2002). A comparison of two self-report measures of children's social anxiety in clinic and community samples. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 31, 69-79.
14.
Fergusson, D.M., Wanner, B., Vitaro, F., Horwood, L.J., & Swain-Campbell, N. (2003). Deviant peer affiliations and depression: Confounding or causation? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31, 605-618.
15.
Gazelle, H., Putallaz, M., Li, Y., Grimes, C.L., Kupersmidt, J.B., & Coie, J.D. (2005). Anxious solitude across contexts: Girls' interactions with familiar and unfamiliar peers. Child Development, 76, 227-246.
16.
Gazelle, H., & Rudolph, K.D. (2004). Moving toward and away from the world: Social approach and avoidance trajectories in anxious solitary youth. Child Development, 75, 829-849.
17.
Gest, S.D., Graham-Bermann, S.A., & Hartup, W.W. (2001). Peer experience: Common and unique features of number of friendships, social network centrality, and sociometric status. Social Development, 10, 23-40.
18.
Graham, J.A., Cohen, R., Bukowski, S.M., & Secrist, M.E. (1998). A longitudinal investigation of race and sex as factors in children's classroom friendship choices. Child Study Journal, 28, 245-267.
19.
Greco, L.A., & Morris, T.L. (2005). Factors influencing the link between social anxiety and peer acceptance: Contributions of social skills and close friendships during middle childhood. Behavior Therapy, 36, 197-205.
20.
Harter, S., & Buddin, B.J. (1987). Children's understanding of the simultaneity of two emotions: A five-stage developmental acquisition sequence. Developmental Psychology, 23, 388-399.
21.
Hartup, W.W. (1996). The company they keep: Friendships and their developmental significance Child Development, 67, 1-13.
22.
Haselager, G.J.T., Hartup, W.W., van Lieshout, C.F.M., & Riksen-Walraven, J.M.A. (1998). Similarities between friends and nonfriends in middle childhoodChild Development , 69, 1198-1208.
23.
Hogue, A., & Steinberg, L. (1995). Homophily of internalized distress in adolescent peer groups. Developmental Psychology, 31, 897-906.
24.
Hollingshead, A.B. (1975). Four factor index of social status. Unpublished manuscript, Yale University, Department of Sociology.
25.
Hymel, S., Wagner, E., & Butler, L.J. (1990). Reputational bias: View from the peer group. In S. R. Asher and J. D. Coie (Eds.), Peer rejection in childhood (pp. 156-183). New York: Cambridge University Press.
26.
Kistner, J. (2006). Children's peer acceptance, perceived acceptance, and risk for depression. In T. E. Joiner , J. S. Brown, & J. Kistner (Eds.), The interpersonal, cognitive, and social nature of depression (pp. 1-21). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
27.
Kovacs, M. (1992). Children's Depression Inventory manual. North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems Inc.
28.
Kupersmidt, J., DeRosier, M.E., & Patterson, C.P. (1995). Similarity as the basis for children's friendships: The roles of sociometric status, aggressive and withdrawn behavior, academic achievement and demographic characteristics. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 12, 439-452.
29.
Ladd, G.W. (1983). Social networks of popular, average, and rejected children in school settings. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 29, 283-307.
30.
Ladd, G.W., & Troop-Gordon, W. (2003). The role of chronic peer difficulties in the development of children's psychological adjustment problems . Child Development, 74, 1344-1367.
31.
La Fontana, K.M., & Cillessen, A.H.N. (1999). Children's interpersonal perceptions as a function of sociometric and peer-perceived popularity. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 160, 225-242.
32.
La Fontana, K.M., & Cillessen, A.H.N. (2002). Children's perceptions of popular and unpopular peers: A multimethod assessment. Developmental Psychology, 38, 635-647.
33.
La Greca, A.M. (1999). Social anxiety scales for children and adolescents: Manual and instructions for SASC, SASC-R, SAS-A (adolescents), and parent versions of the scales. Miami, FL: University of Miami, Department of Psychology.
34.
La Greca, A.M., & Lopez, N. (1998). Social anxiety among adolescents: Linkages with peer relations and friendships. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 83-94.
35.
Larsen, J.T., McGraw, A.P., & Cacioppo, J.T. (2001). Can people feel happy and sad at the same time? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 81, 684-696.
36.
Larsen, J.T., To, Y.M., & Fireman, G. (2007). Children's understanding and experience of mixed emotions. Psychological Science, 18, 186-191.
37.
Lease, A.M., Musgrove, K.T., & Axelrod, J.L. (2002). Dimensions of social status in pre-adolescent peer groups: Likeability, perceived popularity, and social dominance. Social Development, 11, 508-533.
38.
Martin, J.M., Cole, D.A., Clausen, A., Logan, J., & Wilson Strosher, H.L. (2003). Moderators of the relation between popularity and depressive symptoms in children: Processing strength and friendship value. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology , 31, 471-483.
39.
Masten, A., Morison, P., & Pellegrini, D. (1985). A revised class play method of peer assessment. Developmental Psychology, 21, 523-533.
40.
Mrug, S., Hoza, B., & Bukowski, W.M. (2004). Choosing or being chosen by aggressive-disruptive peers: Do they contribute to children's externalizing and internalizing problems? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology , 32, 53-65.
41.
Mullins, L.L., Peterson, L., Wonderlich, S.A., & Reaven, N.M. (1986). The influence of depressive symptomatology in children on the social responses and perceptions of adults. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 15, 233-240.
42.
Muris, P., Merckelbach, H., & Damsma, E. (2000). Threat perception bias in nonreferred, socially anxious children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 29, 348-359.
43.
Nangle, D.W., Erdley, C.A., Newman, J.E., Mason, C.A., & Carpenter, E.M. (2003). Popularity, friendship quantity, and friendship quality: Interactive influences on children's loneliness and depression. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology , 32, 546-555.
44.
Nangle, D.W., Erdley, C.A., Zeff, K.R., Stanchfield, L.L., & Gold, J.A. (2004). Opposites do not attract: Social status and behavioral-style concordances and discordances among children and the peers who like or dislike them. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32, 425-434.
45.
Parker, J.G., & Asher, S.R. (1987). Peer relations and later personal adjustment: Are low-accepted children at risk? Psychological Bulletin , 102, 357-389.
46.
Parker, J.G., & Asher, S.R. (1993). Friendship and friendship quality in middle childhood: Links with peer group acceptance and feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction . Developmental Psychology, 29, 611-621.
47.
Prinstein, M.J., Cheah, C.S., & Guyer, A.E. (2005). Peer victimization, cue interpretation, and internalizing symptoms: Preliminary concurrent and longitudinal findings for children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology , 34, 11-24.
48.
Qualter, P., & Munn, P. (2002). The separateness of social and emotional loneliness in childhood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43, 233-244.
49.
Qualter, P., & Munn, P. (2005). The friendships and play partners of lonely children . Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22, 379-397.
50.
Quiggle, N.L., Garber, J., Panak, W.F., & Dodge, K.A. (1992). Social information processing in aggressive and depressed children. Child Development, 63, 1305-1320.
51.
Rose, A.J., & Rudolph, K.D. (2006). A review of sex differences in peer relationship processes: Potential trade-offs for the emotional and behavioral development of girls and boys. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 98-131.
52.
Rubin, K.H., & Cohen, J.S. (1986). The revised class play: Correlates of peer assessed social behaviors in middle childhood. Advances in Behavioral Assessment of Children and Families, 2, 179-206.
53.
Rudolph, K.D., & Clark, A.G. (2001). Conceptions of relationships in children with depressive and aggressive symptoms: Social-cognitive distortion or reality ? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29, 41-56.
54.
Sandstrom, M.J., Cillessen, A.H.N., & Eisenhower, A. (2003). Children's appraisal of peer rejection experiences: Impact on social and emotional adjustment. Social Development, 12, 530-550.
55.
Stednitz, J.N., & Epkins, C.C. (2006). Girls' and mothers' social anxiety, social skills, and loneliness: Associations after accounting for depressive symptoms. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35, 148-154.
56.
Waas, G.A., & Graczyk, P.A. (1999). Child behaviors leading to peer rejection: A view from the peer group. Child Study Journal, 29, 291-306.
57.
Whitesell, N.R., & Harter, S. (1989). Children's reports of conflict between simultaneous opposite-valence emotions. Child Development, 60, 673-682.
