Maternal influence on negative interactions in children's friendships

The present study examined the associations among mothers' direct interventions in their children's peer interactions, called maternal friendship facilitation, and negative interactions in children's best friendships. Participants were 347 fifth-grade children and their mothers. Drawing on three theoretical perspectives, it was hypothesized that higher levels of friendship facilitation strategies would be related to lower levels of negative interactions and that the strength of these associations would be stronger for boys than for girls. It was also hypothesized that associations between friendship facilitation strategies and negative interactions would be mediated by the strength of children's attachment to peers. Two types of friendship facilitation were negatively associated with negative interactions: talk and encouragement, and meeting other parents. However, these associations were significant only for girls. Peer attachment did not mediate the associations between friendship facilitation strategies and negative interactions.