The ties that bind: exploring the impact of sociometric position, friendships, and bullying on early adolescents' subjective well-being.

Abstract

Background: Early adolescence is a crucial period when social connections form an important basis for children's self-concept and also for their subjective well-being (SWB). Although research has focused on the interactions between SWB of children and their social connections, few studies have examined more than one social aspect simultaneously. In this study, we aimed to address this research gap by investigating acceptance, rejection, friendships, popularity, and involvement in bullying as predictors of children's SWB, hypothesizing that each makes an independent contribution.

Participants and procedure: This study examined the interrelations between SWB and key aspects of peer relationships - sociometric position, friendships, popularity, and bullying - among 498 Hungarian upper elementary-school children aged 10-14. Using a computerized data-collection method, we assessed peer-nominated social variables and administered measures of SWB (Happiness Measure for Schoolchildren and Mental Health Test).

Results: The results confirmed the previous findings that SWB is moderately but significantly associated with the number of mutual friendships, rejection, outgoing friendship ties, and victimization experiences.

Conclusions: The novelty of this research lies in the simultaneous examination of variables typically studied in isolation, allowing for an analysis of their unique contributions as predictors. These findings advance our understanding of the complex interplay between peer relationships and SWB in early adolescence and highlight the importance of fostering positive social connections in school settings to promote children's well-being.