Best friendships, group relationships, and antisocial behavior in early adolescence

Correlations between adolescents' own antisocial behavior and adolescents' perceptions of the antisocial behavior of their best friends and friendship groups were examined in this study. The strength of those correlations was expected to vary as a function of the qualities of the dyadic friendships and group relationships. Perceptions of peers' antisocial behavior and dyad ic friendship and group relationship qualities were collected through inter views with 431, 12- through 13-year-old adolescents. Measures of adolescent s' concurrent and subsequent antisocial behaviors were obtained from the ad olescents and their teachers. Adolescents who perceived their friends and g roups as participating in antisocial behavior had higher self-reported and teacher-reported antisocial behavior ratings. Perceptions of best friend an tisocial behavior were correlated more strongly with adolescents' own concu rrent but not subsequent, antisocial behavior when high levels of help, com panionship, and security characterized dyadic friendships. The results are discussed in terms of peer influence and friendship selection processes.