This Element of Adolescence May Lead to Strong Friendships In Adulthood

Have you already given thought to how your adolescent may fare, socially, in adulthood? If so, then you’re likely on the right track to help them live a friendship-filled life.

That’s because a new study has found that, in adolescence, having a strong family connection—one rooted in safety, stability, and nurturing (and, we’ll go ahead and add, emotional investment in your kid’s future)—is strongly associated with high social connection in adulthood.

The cohort study, published in JAMA Pediatrics earlier this week, was based on nationally representative U.S. data of 7,018 individuals—followed over two decades—from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.

High social connection was more than twice as common among adults who had the highest family connection in adolescence (39.5%) as compared with those who had the lowest (16.1%).

The findings, concluded the Columbia University researchers, suggest that “increasing family connection during adolescence may help reduce the burden of adult social disconnection.”

Several population-based studies have documented the association between either parent-child connection or family connection during childhood and well-being in adulthood, the study notes. But fewer studies have focused on the interpersonal aspects of well-being, such as social activity, social support, and relationship quality, which is what inspired the latest analysis.

To assess how connected to family the individuals felt in adolescence, researchers asked participants to say how much they felt “your parents care about you,” “people in your family understand you,” “you and your family have fun together,” “your family pays attention to you,” and “you feel loved and wanted.”

To measure participants’ social health in adulthood, the researchers looked at indicators including whether they had more than two close friends, how often they felt isolated, and if they participated in weekly activities with relatives, friends, or neighbors.

Previously, in a 2022 study, lead author Robert C. Whitaker found that children with the greatest level of family connection were 49% more liable to thrive in general than those with low levels of connection.

And while many studies had already shown that strong family bonds lowered the chances of poor outcomes in life, Whitaker’s study went a step further, showing that was also “associated with thriving and not just surviving or avoiding harm,” Whitaker told CNN at the time.

So go ahead and focus on strengthening that bond with your tween or teen. You can start by giving them space and just listening, watching shows or social media together, eating dinner with each other on the regular, or even tucking them in at night. Your kids will thank you later, when they have a vibrant, supportive social life.