The psychiatrist Harry Sullivan believed that nothing is a more significant determinant of psychological well-being than the nature of our closest social bonds. In adolescence, research has consistently linked the quality of friendships to important outcomes such as emotional health, self esteem, the ability to overcome social anxiety, and achievement at school.
A recent study by researchers from Florida Atlantic University has explored the long-term stability of adolescent friendships in US schools. In particular, the researchers were interested in the breaking up of adolescent friendships, and the factors which predicted those break ups.
The study found that only 1% of friendships that started in seventh grade – when the pupils are 12-13 years old – lasted for the full five-year period of the study. Friendships that began in seventh grade were at greatest risk of dissolving within the first year (with a 76% hazard rate). When they made it beyond the hazardous first year, the chances of breaking up after three years (64% hazard rate), four years (47% hazard rate), or five years (30% hazard rate) was diminished.
