The Role of Spatial Context in Shaping Adolescents’ Peer Relationships

Mats Beckmann, Katharina Knüttel, Sören Petermann and Till Stefes
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Mats Beckmann: Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Regionalforschung (ZEFIR), Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
Katharina Knüttel: Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Regionalforschung (ZEFIR), Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
Sören Petermann: Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Regionalforschung (ZEFIR), Ruhr University Bochum, Germany / Faculty of Social Science, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
Till Stefes: Faculty of Social Science, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany

Social Inclusion, 2022, vol. 10, issue 3, 262-272

Abstract: This article explores the role of neighbourhoods as a spatial context for peer relationships among adolescents. We examine the correlations between neighbourhood composition and places suitable for young people for friendship intimacy and peer belonging. We hypothesise that favourable demographic and social neighbourhood compositions, knowledge, and use of places suitable for young people, as well as the spatial appropriation of such places, promote peer relationships. The present study carries out empirical testing of the spatial hypotheses with survey data from adolescents (N = 3225) in two German cities with 30 neighbourhoods. Our results show that neighbourhood composition is not related to peer relationships. Nevertheless, knowledge of safe places suitable for adolescents, as well as the appropriation of unsupervised (hang out) places, correlate with peer relationships. Interestingly, there are divergent results for 7th and 9th graders that can be explained by the developmental stages of the adolescents.

Keywords: adolescence; belonging; friendship; neighbourhood; peer relationship; spatial appropriation; spatial context (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:socinc:v10:y:2022:i:3:p:262-272

DOI: 10.17645/si.v10i3.5444

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