The Long Shadow of Peers: Adolescent Networks and Young Adult Mental Health

Molly Copeland
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Molly Copeland: Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

Social Sciences, 2021, vol. 10, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Connections with peers play an important role in adolescent mental health, but their lasting impact is unclear. This study examines whether structural status and support in adolescent networks predict depressive symptoms years later. Using data from the PROSPER Peers study ( n = 1017), I find that the persistent effects of networks differ based on the mental health of teens and their friends. Structures of status and support relate to young adult mental health only for individuals who experience depressive symptoms as teens. Among depressive adolescents, popularity predicts lower subsequent depressive symptoms, while high prestige predicts higher depressive symptoms in young adulthood. Embeddedness among depressed friends also predicts higher young adult depressive symptoms. Overall, findings suggest relationships with peers can set the stage for mental health for adolescents who experience depressive symptoms or have depressive friends.

Keywords: social networks; adolescence; peer networks; mental health; young adulthood (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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