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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 9/2015

01-09-2015 | Original Paper

The stability and predictors of peer group deviance in university students

Authors: Kenneth S. Kendler, John Myers, Danielle Dick

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 9/2015

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Abstract

Background

Peer group deviance (PGD) is strongly associated with current and future externalizing behaviors. Debate remains about the degree to which this association arises from social selection. The first year of university constitutes a social experiment in which most individuals leave their home environment and recreate for themselves a new peer group.

Methods

PGD was measured in newly arrived university students and then 6 and 18 months later. Other personality and family traits were also assessed.

Results

PGD reported for high school friends at the start of university and university friends 6 months later were substantially correlated (+0.60). This correlation was only slightly diminished if restricted to students whose home was greater than 50 miles from the university. PGD was strongly predicted across three cohorts by male sex (+), extraversion (+), conscientiousness (−), a family history of alcohol use disorders (+) and depression (+), and religiosity (−).These predictors of PGD had a relatively stable impact over 18 months and, aside from sex, differed only modestly in males and females.

Conclusions

As individuals change social groups from high school to university, the level of PGD remains relatively stable, suggesting that individuals play a strong role in selecting peer groups with consistent characteristics. PGD is also predicted cross-sectionally and longitudinally by personality, family background and religiosity. Our results suggest that the association between personal and peer deviance is due at least in part to the effects of social selection.
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Metadata
Title
The stability and predictors of peer group deviance in university students
Authors
Kenneth S. Kendler
John Myers
Danielle Dick
Publication date
01-09-2015
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 9/2015
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-015-1031-4

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