Em. Vernberg et al., AVERSIVE EXCHANGES WITH PEERS AND ADJUSTMENT DURING EARLY ADOLESCENCE- IS DISCLOSURE HELPFUL, Child psychiatry and human development, 26(1), 1995, pp. 43-59
We examined the relationship between the frequency of four types of av
ersive exchanges with peers (teased, threatened, hit, excluded), discl
osure, and psychological distress in a sample of 130 early adolescents
(65 boys, 65 girls). Most (73%) reported at least one aversive exchan
ge with a peer during the 3-month target period. Many reported that th
ey did not talk to anyone about these exchanges. When disclosure occur
red, other adolescents were more likely than adults to be chosen as co
nfidants. More frequent aversive exchanges and non-disclosure of these
events were related to higher self-reported loneliness for boys and g
irls. A similar pattern was found for girls only using mothers' rating
s of the adolescents' internalizing and externalizing symptoms.