An Exploration of the Unique and Combined Impact of Peer and Parental Relationship Quality on Social Competence in Early Adolescence

Research indicates that relationships with both parents and peers impact adolescents' social competence. Given the normative developmental changes occurring during early adolescence, the unique and combined contributions made by peer and parent relationships on specific indicators of social competence is unclear. The present study was designed to examine these contributions as well as the potential moderating effect of peer relationship quality on the association between parental relationship quality and social competence (empathy, self-esteem, and interpersonal functioning). To this end, 133 seventh and eighth grade students from a suburban Chicago middle school (63 males, 70 females) aged 11 to 15 years old completed self-report measures of parent (maternal and paternal) and peer relationship quality, empathy, self-esteem, bullying and victimization. Results indicate robust unique and individual contributions of peer and parental relationship quality on empathy, self-esteem, bullying and victimization. Significant gender differences were found among research variables indicating that females engage in greater levels of verbal and relational bullying, and report higher levels of empathy and peer relationship quality. Finally, peer relationship quality was found to moderate the relationship between paternal relationship quality and bullying behavior for females. For females with lower levels of peer relationship quality, paternal relationship had a greater impact on bullying perpetration than females with higher levels of peer relationship quality. Implications of these findings are explored and future research directions given.