Friendship Conceptions among Early Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study of Stability and Change

Stability and change in early adolescents' friendship conceptions were examined in a one-year longitudinal study. Once during sixth grade, and again during seventh grade, 99 girls and 98 boys were asked to rate 14 items according to how important each item was for friendship. These items were grouped according to the results of a factor analysis into three clusters referred to as Commonality, Help/Support, and Intimacy. A multivariate analysis of variance, followed by planned comparisons and simple effects tests, revealed: (a) a decrese over time in the importance ascribed to the Commonality cluster; (b) a decrease over time in the boys' ratings on the Help/Support cluster, but no change in the girls' ratings on this cluster; (c) no change over time in the ratings on the Intimacy cluster; (d) higher ratings from the girls than the boys for the Intimacy and Help/Support clusters, with the differences on the Help/Support cluster becoming larger over time; and (e) relatively higher ratings for the Help/Support cluster than for the Intimacy or Commonality clusters. The correlations computed between respective clusters across the one year interval indicate a moderate degree of stability in early adolescents' friendship conceptions. These results are discussed in light of previous research on children's friendship conceptions and in regard to the social experiences of boys and girls during early adolescence.