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Teen Girls Who Befriend Boys at Higher Risk for Substance Abuse
In childhood, boys and girls tend to limit their friendships to same-sex peers. But this begins to change around early adolescence. This study found that girls tend to make the change to mixed-gender friendships earlier than boys, and continue this transition at a more rapid pace through adolescence.
The researchers also found that girls who did move to mixed-gender friendships early and quickly are more likely to develop substance abuse problems during late adolescence.
Antisocial behavior and early physical maturity accelerated the increase in girls’ numbers of male friends, who tended to be older and who didn’t go to the same school. This may be because older boys provide younger girls with a way of obtaining alcohol, said the researchers.
They said their findings suggest that parents may want to more closely monitor their daughters’ friendships, especially with older boys.
