FORMING, LOSING, RENEWING, AND REPLACING FRIENDSHIPS - APPLYING TEMPORAL PARAMETERS TO THE ASSESSMENT OF CHILDRENS FRIENDSHIP EXPERIENCES

Friendship formation and dissolution were tracked over time in a summe r camp to examine whether such events are valid indicators of individu al differences in children's friendship adjustment. Subjects were 216 children ages 8-15 years. Sociometric nominations were used to determi ne the identities of reciprocal friends. Loneliness at camp was also t racked over time. In addition, data on group acceptance, behavioral re putations, social competence, and behavioral problems were gathered fr om peers and counselors. Analyses suggested that friendship formation and duration were coherent, independent dimensions of individual diffe rences and distinct from the overall extensivity of involvement in fri endships. Regression analyses indicated that the temporal parameters o f participation in friendship enhanced the prediction of changes in lo neliness at camp. Age and sex differences in temporal parameters were explored, and 4 discrete trajectories for friendship involvement were identified. Children with different trajectories differed in their beh avioral profiles from one another and from children who were chronical ly friendless.