TY - JOUR
T1 - Peer-Friendship Networks and Self-injurious Thoughts and Behaviors in Adolescence: A Systematic Review of Sociometric School-based Studies that Use Social Network Analysis
AU - Crudgington, Holly
AU - Wilson, Emma
AU - Copeland, Molly
AU - Morgan, Craig
AU - Knowles, Gemma
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Centre for Society and Mental Health at King’s College London [ES/S012567/1]. This work was supported by the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS-DTP). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the ESRC, LISS-DTP, or King’s College London.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
PY - 2022/12/7
Y1 - 2022/12/7
N2 - Peers, particularly in-school peers, shape adolescent health behaviors. Yet little is known about in-school peers and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. This systematic review examined studies of sociometric school-based adolescent peer-friendship networks and associations with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. A search across five databases identified fifteen eligible studies. Studies were mainly longitudinal (n=13), from two countries (USA and China), of adolescents aged 11-19 at baseline, mostly balanced in gender (46%-56% girls), and from middle/high schools ranging in size (n=348?13482). Studies assessed 1) network structure and 2) exposure to friends’ self-injury and suicidality. Friends’ self-injurious thoughts and behaviors were associated with adolescents’ own similar behaviors, but there was limited evidence for socialization and selection. Sociality and network density were negatively associated with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, whereas isolation and intransitivity were positively associated. While study heterogeneity made it difficult to draw further conclusions about specific network metrics (e.g., centrality, reciprocity), studies indicate overall that peers matter for these behaviors across adolescent development (e.g., early to late adolescence). Like other adolescent behaviors, the structure of how youth are connected to peers also relates to self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Future work should examine these processes over the course of adolescent development.
AB - Peers, particularly in-school peers, shape adolescent health behaviors. Yet little is known about in-school peers and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. This systematic review examined studies of sociometric school-based adolescent peer-friendship networks and associations with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. A search across five databases identified fifteen eligible studies. Studies were mainly longitudinal (n=13), from two countries (USA and China), of adolescents aged 11-19 at baseline, mostly balanced in gender (46%-56% girls), and from middle/high schools ranging in size (n=348?13482). Studies assessed 1) network structure and 2) exposure to friends’ self-injury and suicidality. Friends’ self-injurious thoughts and behaviors were associated with adolescents’ own similar behaviors, but there was limited evidence for socialization and selection. Sociality and network density were negatively associated with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, whereas isolation and intransitivity were positively associated. While study heterogeneity made it difficult to draw further conclusions about specific network metrics (e.g., centrality, reciprocity), studies indicate overall that peers matter for these behaviors across adolescent development (e.g., early to late adolescence). Like other adolescent behaviors, the structure of how youth are connected to peers also relates to self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Future work should examine these processes over the course of adolescent development.
KW - Self-harm
KW - suicidal ideation
KW - suicide attempts
KW - social networks
KW - peers
KW - adolescence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85143546505&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s40894-022-00196-3
DO - 10.1007/s40894-022-00196-3
M3 - Review article
SN - 2363-8346
JO - Adolescent Research Review
JF - Adolescent Research Review
ER -
