THE ESSENTIAL
- “Negative affectivity” results in increased emotional distress, with frequent and intense negative emotions, in addition to symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- It is present from ages 27 to 32 in adolescents who had difficulty establishing and maintaining serious friendships.
- Relationship difficulties may also predict high levels of inflammation and blood pressure in adulthood.
19 years ago, researchers at the University of Virginia (United States) set themselves a challenge: to identify long-term predictors of “negative affectivity” in adulthood. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, people experiencing “negative affectivity” exhibit increased emotional distress, with frequent and intense negative emotions, including hostility, in addition to symptoms of depression and anxiety. “Our initial hypothesis was that the qualities of social relationships from adolescence would be important for understanding this phenomenon,” the team said.
Having difficulty forming friendships is linked to increased emotional distress and physical problems
As part of a study, published in the journal Development and Psychopathologyscientists followed 169 people from the ages of 13 to 32 and analyzed almost annual reports about themselves, their parents and their friends. “We looked at the qualities of their social relationships as reported by other people, not just as reported by the subjects,” said Joseph Allen, professor of psychology and author of the work.
Results showed that lack of skills to establish and maintain meaningful friendships during adolescence had a long-term predictive relationship with negative affectivity at ages 27 to 32, even after controlling for previous symptoms of depression and anxiety. According to the authors, these poor interpersonal skills not only affect mental health, they also predict poorer physical health, specifically high levels of inflammation and blood pressure.
Anxiety, depression: “taking adolescent relationships seriously”
But what can parents do to avoid this? “The first and most important step is to take adolescent relationships seriously” that they consider relationships as “almost a question of life and death.” According to Joseph Allen, “Adolescents implicitly feel that these relationships will be crucial to their future well-being. It is therefore important to recognize their distress and take it seriously rather than dismissing it as a passing anxiety.” Faced with a teenager having relational difficulties, the researcher advises parents to encourage them to participate in group activities, such as sports or theater groups.
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