Strong teenage friendship bond may boost mental health, says study

Are you worried about your son or daughter being too friendly with his or her friends? Then there is a research result out, which shows you don't need to worry more now. 

The research shows that having strong and intimate friendships during adolescence may help improve several aspects of mental health such as anxiety, social acceptance, self-worth and symptoms of depression.“Our research found that the quality of friendships during adolescence may directly predict aspects of long-term mental and emotional health,” said lead author Rachel K. Narr, a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Virginia.

“High school students with higher-quality best friendships tended to improve in several aspects of mental health over time, while teens who were popular among their peers during high school may be more prone to social anxiety later in life,” Narr added.This study was published in the journal Child Development, looked at a community sample of 169 adolescents over 10 years, from the time they were age 15 to when they were 25.The youth included were from a diverse background.

For this they have assessed annually, and questioned about their closest friends, reporting on their friendships and participating in interviews. 

Researchers found that teens who prioritized close friendships at age 15 had lower social anxiety, an increased sense of self-worth and fewer symptoms of depression by the time they reached age 25 than their peers

Good relationships with friends help children to cope up with difficulties of their daily life.