Connecting adolescent friendships to physical health outcomes: A narrative review

Abstract

Friendships are developmentally significant peer relationships that meaningfully contribute to adolescent adjustment. Despite extensive evidence that friendships contribute to adolescents’ psychological well-being and mental health, less is known about the connections between adolescents’ friendships and physical health outcomes. Therefore, the current review synthesizes a growing body of research examining associations between adolescent friendships and physical health. The findings reviewed provide evidence for links between the quantity, quality, and stability of adolescents’ friendships and their corresponding subjective and physiological health. Consistency of findings varied as a function of friendship dimensions and health outcomes studied. In turn, we end the review with a discussion of conceptual and methodological consistencies and inconsistencies across the studies reviewed, a proposed agenda for future research, and a presentation of a novel process-oriented model explaining how friendships may contribute to adolescent physical health.