The findings of a new study suggest that among American teenagers, birds of a feather do flock together, especially in the area of illegal drug use patterns of their peers. The study in the March issue of Developmental Psychology, a journal published by the American Psychological Association (APA), found that African American, Asian American and European American adolescents and their nominated friends shared highly similar levels of illegal drug use. Similarity was greatest among teenagers and their friends who reported lower levels of illegal drug use and when cross-ethnic rather than same-ethnic friends were selected.

Study author and psychologist Jill V. Hamm, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says similarity may be pronounced with respect to illegal drug use because of the potentially significant consequences associated with this behavior. The study involved 6,500 ninth-through-12th grade students attending seven ethnically diverse high schools in California and Wisconsin. The students in the study were African American, Asian American and European American adolescents who could be matched to a best friend. Similarity in friendship was examined based on substance use, academic orientation and ethnic identity. African American, Asian American and European American adolescents and their nominated friends shared highly similar levels of illegal drug use and moderately similar academic orientations. For both illegal drug use and academic orientations, the degree of similarity was significantly lower among African American adolescents and their nominated friends compared to Asian American or European American adolescents and their nominated friends. Although predicted to be important to friendship selection in ethnically diverse contexts, Dr. Hamm says shared levels of ethnic identity did not appear to be a major selection criterion for adolescents of any ethnic group in the study.

Dr. Hamm says these results add to a growing body of research indicating that adolescents from various ethnic groups differ in their selection of similar friends. Although no research directly addresses why ethnic groups vary with respect to similarity as a selection criterion, Dr. Hamm says it may be the case that "historical and cultural circumstances unique to each ethnic group lead youth to attend to different dimensions when selecting friends. An alternative explanation is that ethnic-group differences reflect different antecedents of African American, Asian American and European American participants' friendship selection."

The results of the study also show that adolescents do not appear to seek friends who are identical to themselves. Dr. Hamm says this finding has important implications for adolescents' adjustment. "Locating friends who are relatively similar yet not identical," she says, "may satisfy the need to find commonality with others and at the same time establish a unique sense of self." This may also allow adolescents room to negotiate views and explore values within the security of compatible relationships.

Reference: "Do Birds of a Feather Flock Together? The Variable Bases for African American, Asian American, and European American Adolescents' Selection of Similar Friends,"
Jill V. Hamm, Ph.D.; Developmental Psychology, Vol. 36, No. 2.

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