A student's relationship with his parents as well as his level of popularity can directly affect how he responds to peer pressure, according to an ongoing study conducted by Psychology Prof. Joe Allen and Assoc. Family Medicine Prof. Claudia Allen.
The Allens have been following 185 students enrolled at a Charlottesville middle school for 10 years, focusing on how a student's home life affects how he deals with peer pressure. The study's results suggest that the way in which parents talk to their children can have an impact on their children's ability to resist peer pressure, Mr. Allen said. Children who communicate successfully with their families are more likely to deal positively with peer pressure, the study's findings suggest.
"It turns out that teenagers learn whether or not they can get voices heard by other people in their families," Mr. Allen said. "If they get their voices heard in families, they're more assertive in peer groups."
The study also found that students who are more popular among their peers are more likely to give in to peer pressure than less popular students.
"They're popular because they're attuned to what matters in their peer group," Mr. Allen said, adding that although popularity can positively influence a student, "it also means that if a peer group expects [a student] to do things like drink or shoplift, [that student] is also attuned to that."
Bruce Boling, director of the Southwood Unit of the Boys and Girls Club of Charlottesville/Albmarle, said he has witnessed popular students give in to peer pressure. He also noted that he believes age can play a key factor in whether a child will submit to the whims of popular demand.
"Older kids are very influential on the younger kids," he said.
Mr. Allen said he hopes the study's finding will help parents better guide their teenagers dealing with peer pressure.
"We're trying to change the way parents think about how [they] prepare teenagers to enter adult world," he said. "Instead of parents thinking about protecting their kids, how do we teach people to thrive and master potential dangers and challenges?"
The Allens' study will be published next month in a book titled "Escaping the Endless Adolescence"
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