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Similarity, Cohesion, and Friendship Networks Among Boys and Girls: A One-Year Follow-Up Study Among Italian Children

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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the follow-up effects of certain characteristics of children’s friendships, such as similarity and cohesion with friends as represented by the children through drawing, as well as the breadth of their friendship networks as perceived by children. Participants were 115 children who were 6 to 9 years old (M = 7.09.14, SD = 0.41; 51 % female), attending two primary schools in northwest Italy. We used children’s drawings and self-reported measures to investigate friendship at both dyadic and network levels. Multiple logistic regressions indicated that mean score of similarity was positively associated with friendship network while an increase in cohesion was negatively associated with friendship network at follow-up. These associations did not vary by sex and stability or change of drawn friend. The paper contributes to the knowledge on the subject of friendship among children, especially in light of its focus on the associations between the components of friendship and the friendship network. Findings demonstrated that boys and girls are much more similar than expected.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partially funded by ISI Foundation, Torino, Italy; CRC Foundation, Cuneo, Italy; and by CRT Foundation, Torino, Italy.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Via Verdi 10, 10124, Torino, Italy

    Emanuela Rabaglietti, Maria Fernanda Vacirca, Giulia Zucchetti & Silvia Ciairano

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  1. Emanuela Rabaglietti
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  2. Maria Fernanda Vacirca
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  3. Giulia Zucchetti
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  4. Silvia Ciairano
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Correspondence to Emanuela Rabaglietti.

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Rabaglietti, E., Vacirca, M.F., Zucchetti, G. et al. Similarity, Cohesion, and Friendship Networks Among Boys and Girls: A One-Year Follow-Up Study Among Italian Children. Curr Psychol 31, 246–262 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-012-9145-2

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