Perceived maternal disapproval of peer affiliates forecasts child friendship dissolution

Abstract

Parents who express disapproval of their children's friends presumably do so to disrupt the affiliation. This study examines the efficacy of this practice. Participants included 394 students (200 boys, 194 girls) attending public schools in Lithuania (ages 9–14). Nearly all were ethnic Lithuanian. Three times, across 2 school years, participants completed surveys describing perceptions of friendship social support and maternal disapproval of peer affiliates. Stable reciprocated best friends (N = 197) were identified from friend nominations during the Fall and Winter of the initial school year (2021). Approximately one-third of reciprocated friendships later dissolved. Longitudinal dyadic mediation analyses indicated that perceived maternal disapproval of friends predicted subsequent friendship dissolution, directly and indirectly through friend perceptions of declining social support.