Through an Interdisciplinary Lens: The

slide1. Through an Interdisciplinary Lens: The Psychological, Sociological, and Educational Contributions to Consider When Investigating Adolescent Friendship Quality Psychology Sociology Education Background
Peer social status (view the peer group holds on how much a certain child is liked/accepted vs disliked/rejected) – both aggressive and withdrawn, timid, or socially anxious children typically being rejected by peers (Gallibrand et al., 2016, pp. 358-363)
Adolescent friendship quality found to be predictive of relationship quality, suggesting that friends provide a model for other relationships (Kochendorfer and Kerns, 2017)
Intergenerational transmission of violence Background
Reading comprehension refers to the processes involved to be able to adequately understand the text and its meaning (Soto et al., 2019). Reading ability and comprehension continues to grow throughout adolescence, hitting a plateau at ~15 years (Francis et al., 1996)
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is expected to teach pupils about the characteristics of positive relationships (including friendships), as well as how to recognise and report different forms of abuse (Department of Education, 2019) Background

Cultural scripts – how people learn common behavioural patterns – can affect views of violence. For instance, boys can often be viewed as more violent due to masculinity norms and girls’ (often less overt) aggression can often be downplayed by those around them and by the wider school system (Waldron, 2009) References
Department of Education (2019) Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education: Statutory guidance for governing bodies, proprietors, head teachers, principals, senior leadership teams, teachers. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education#full-publication-update-history (Accessed: 3 March 2023).
Francis, D. J., Shaywitz, S. E., Stuebing, K. K., Shaywitz, B. A., and Fletcher, J. M. (1996) ‘Developmental lag versus deficit models of reading disability: A longitudinal, individual growth curves analysis’. Journal of educational psychology, 88(1), pp. 3-17. Available at: https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-0663.88.1.3 (Accessed: 7 March 2023)
Freysteinsdóttir, F., Jóhannsdóttir, G. (2022) ‘"I was just like a prisoner" An exploration on emotional abuse within friendships’, College Student Journal, 56(1), pp. 85-93. Available at: https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/prin/csj/2022/00000056/00000001/art00007 (Accessed: 8 March 2023)
Gallibrand, R., Lam, V., and O’Donnell, V. L. (2016) Developmental psychology. New York: Pearson.

Kochendorfer, L. B., and Kerns, K. A. (2017) ‘Perceptions of Parent-Child Attachment Relationships and Friendship Qualities: Predictors of Romantic Relationship Involvement and Quality in Adolescence’, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(5), pp. 1009-1021. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0645-0 (Accessed: 6 March 2023)
Soto., C., Gutiérrez de Blume., A. P., Jacovina, M., McNamara, D., Benson, N., and Riffo, B. (2019) ‘Reading comprehension and metacognition: The importance of inferential skills’, Cogent Education, 6(1), pp. 1565067. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1565067 (Accessed: 7 March 2023)
Waldron, L. M. (2009) ‘Cultural Approaches to Understanding School Violence’. Sociology Compass, 3(4), pp. 595-615. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9020.2009.00222.x (Accessed: 7 March 2023) Project by Katherine Short Aim
To demonstrate the contributions in both theories and practises used by the three disciplines when investigating the perceptions surrounding, experiences of, and long-term outcomes of adolescent friendships of varying quality The Project
Evidence of emotionally abusive friendships has recently emerged, with many victims stating that it started in childhood/adolescence (e.g. Freysteinsdóttir and Jóhannsdóttir, 2022)
The project aims to be one of the first to investigate emotionally abusive friendships, using secondary schools in and surrounding Portsmouth
Through Working Across Disciplines, Education has taken a more pivotal role in the designing of materials than originally planned – ensuring that the materials are a suitable reading level for everybody should increase validity
Through the course, Sociology has been increasingly incorporated into the project, with the expectation that the wider school system will affect both adolescent perceptions and experiences with emotional abuse
Incorporating the effect of the wider school system and the views that school staff hold, especially when also teaching RSE, could improve our understanding of how these toxic friendships are formed and maintained Utilisation in Project
Reading comprehension pre-tests to ensure understanding of project materials for all ages that will be approached for the studies (11-15)
Understanding if/how the new RSE subject influences perceptions over time of supportive and emotionally abusive friendships/romantic relationships
Attendance and educational attainment data collected as part of determining the long-term and multifaceted impacts of friendship abuse Utilisation in Project
Investigating how the cultural scripts school staff use in their attitudes towards the vignettes detailing supportive or emotionally abusive romantic relationships/friendships affect both students’ perceptions and experiences
Qualitative interviews to develop deeper understanding of experiences with emotionally abusive friendships Utilisation in Project
Investigating if poor peer social status is a motivator in remaining in abusive friendships
Collecting peer social status scores as part of determining the long-term effects of friendship quality, particularly in the abusive friendships
Investigating if adolescent friendship quality predicts later romantic relationship quality, with a focus on experiencing emotional abuse
Controlling for effect of childhood domestic violence on dating violence<br>