Those Most At Risk Seek The Support of Peers
In an effort to do this, adolescents most at-risk, seek the comfort and support of peers. While peer influences can be either positive or negative in a young person’s life, the choice and quality of friendships how is this determined? appear to determine which the adolescent is likely to adopt. (Berndt) In their article, Social Relationships and School Adjustment, Wentzel and Battle note that the average time adolescents spend with their families gets lower by 20% from fifth to twelfth grade. This fact suggests that although parents have a significant role in shaping a child’s adjustment to school, as the child begins to mature, peer groups influence increases.