The Peer Informant: Characteristics Related to the Perceptions of Peer Behavior Problems

Victimization and rejection by peers leads to and exacerbates behavior problems in children and adolescents. Given the implications
of problematic peer relations for adolescents who experience behavior problems, the present study examined factors that may
be related to how adolescents perceive peers who exhibit such problems. Specifically, the present study examined the relationship
of adolescent informants’ socioeconomic status, their prior exposure to psychological symptoms, their perceived social acceptance,
and their own behavior problems to their perceptions of peers’ internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, their liking
and disliking of peers who exhibit such problems, and their attributions for the etiology of such problems when portrayed
by fictitious peers of the same age. In particular, adolescents were asked to rate a set of vignettes portraying internalizing
and externalizing behavior problems that are seen commonly in peers and to complete a set of brief questionnaires. Results
revealed that adolescents were able to perceive the presence of both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in
vignette characters. Additionally, vignette characters who did not exhibit behavior problems were most likely to be approached
and liked, whereas those vignette characters who displayed externalizing behavior problems were more likely to be disliked
and ignored. Finally, although adolescents endorsed both internal and external etiological factors, ratings were related to
the sex of the depicted vignette character and the nature of the portrayed behavior problems. Overall, this study provided
additional evidence that, although adolescents can serve as valuable informants, they also tended to be rejecting of peers
who display behavior problems.