New research from Adelaide University shines a light on the role that large peer groups play in the development of critical psychological tools among 15 to 18 year olds.
The study, published in the journal Youth & Society and led by researcher Dr Sarah Halliday, found that being part of a large friend group was more predictive of resilience than friendship intimacy (having a best friend).
Dr Halliday and Sebastian Miliotis, a former Psychology Honours student, analysed more than 21,000 responses from South Australian public schools in grades 9-12 who had completed the 2025 Wellbeing and Engagement Collection, a survey of student wellbeing.
The aim of the study was to examine how friendship dynamics, specifically friendship intimacy and peer belonging, contribute to resilience.
Resilience is defined as “the capacity to adapt in the face of adversity.”
It is of particular interest because of its protective factors against mental illness and its role in fostering lifelong skills of adaptation in the face of adversity.
Students were asked questions such as: “I have a hard time making it through stressful events,” “I tend to bounce back quickly after hard times,” “It is hard for me to snap back when something bad happens,” “I tend to take a long time to get over set-backs in my life,” “I usually come through difficult times with little trouble,” and “it does not take me long to recover from a stressful event.”
Students were asked to rank the statements on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 representing “strongly disagree” and 5 representing “strongly agree”.
Researchers then measured two variables: peer belonging, defined as “feeling that they belong to a social group” and friendship intimacy, defined as “quality of social support from peers”.
Students were asked to rank questions measuring for these variables on a scale of 1 to 5.
These questions included, “I feel part of a group of friends that do things together” and “I have a friend I can tell everything to”.
From its analysis, the study revealed that peer belonging was a stronger predictor of resilience than friendship intimacy for students in Grades 9-12, aged 15-18.
Contrary to previous research emphasising “quality over quantity” in friendships, friendship intimacy was found to have a negligible effect on resilience.
Dr Halliday said this held constant even when they accounted for personal differences that may influence resilience and friendship.
“This could be because in a group you have more people role modelling behaviors and skills, so you’re exposed to more resilient behaviors than you would be with one close friend,” she added.
Dr Halliday said that within this age group students would likely have been part of established friendship groups for at least a couple of years.
“Having a support network with a shared history and deeper trust can foster a sense of belonging, helping to bounce back from adversity with greater resilience,” she said.
She added that students can better develop resilience through the encouragement of larger, more inclusive peer networks.
This research comes in the wake of a recent Harvard study that revealed Gen Z has lower agency through “a growing belief that what they do no longer shapes what happens next.”
Building resilience in teens is important because it empowers them to overcome life’s setbacks and maintain healthy relationships.
It is also a crucial part of healthy growth and identity development and the prevention of longer-term mental distress which can help facilitate the transition to well-adjusted adulthood.
This is especially valuable because 50 per cent of mental disorders reportedly develop before the age of 18, with diagnoses peaking at 14.5 years old.
While it can certainly be advantageous to have a close, intimate relationship with particular friends, these should be encouraged within the context of more robust peer networks.
Read related topics:Relationships