Abstract: Evidences from researches on both primates and human supported the hypothesis that problems in early peer relationship could lead to subsequent psychosocial maladjustments, including externalizing and internalizing problems (such as feelings of loneliness and depression). While children’s experiences with peers can be best understood by referring to several levels of social complexity: within individuals, within interactions, within relationships, and within groups. Previous researches had revealed that loneliness was associated with a variety of peer variables at each of the four levels. Most existing researches had focused on the influences of peer variables on loneliness. Less examined was the impact of loneliness on peer variables. The present study was designed to explore the interaction between loneliness and peer variables using a 2-year longitudinal design.
This study examined 274 children from Grade 3 to Grade 4 in 2002 and 2004. This study used the measures auch as the Perceived Competence Scale for Children, the Revised Class Play, Friendship Nomination and Friendship quality Questionnaire, Sociometric Nominations, and Children’s Loneliness Scale to assess self-perceived social competence, social withdraw and peer victimization scores, mutual friends number and best friendship quality, positive nomination and negative nomination, and loneliness score, respectively.
Cross-lagged regression analysis was conducted to examine the mutual predicative relations between loneliness and peer variables within each of the four levels. The results indicated that (1) there is a mutually predictive relations between peer variables and loneliness during the two-year interval such that (a) at the group level, after controlling other variables at Time 1, no significant cross-lagged effects were found between “liked most” nomination, “like least” nomination, and loneliness; (b) at the relationship level, after controlling other variables at Time 1, there was a significant cross-lagged effect between friendship quality and loneliness, suggesting that early friendship quality significantly predicted loneliness two years later, and early loneliness also significantly predicted friendship quality two years later; additionally, number of early mutual friends significantly predicted loneliness two years later, whereas early loneliness didn’t predict number of mutual friends two years later; (c) at the interaction level, after controlling other variables at Time 1, no significant cross-lagged effect was found between passive withdraw, peer victimization, and loneliness; (d) at the individual level, after controlling other variables at Time 1, there was a significant cross-lagged effect of self-perceived social competence on loneliness and vice versa, indicating that early self-perceived social competence significantly predicted loneliness two years later, and early loneliness also significantly predicted self-perceived social competence two years later. (2) With respect to the stability of peer variables and loneliness during the 2-yealr interval, the “like most” nomination, “like least” nomination, peer victimization, passive withdraw and number of mutual friends were highly stable, while best friendship quality, self-perceived social competence, and loneliness showed moderate stabilitie.
Conclusions: Forst, mutual predictive relation between self-reported peer variables and loneliness were more stronger than that between peer-rated peer variables and loneliness. Second, the peer-rated variables (i.e., “like most” nomination, “like least” nomination, peer victimization, passive withdraw and mutual friends number) were more stable than those of self-reported variables (i.e., friendship quality, self-perceived social competence and loneliness). Third, once the characters of peer variables merged, they would show continued stability

Key words: Children’s experiences with peers, loneliness, cross-lagged regression design