Do mothers know their teenagers' friends? Implications for individuation in early adolescence

This study addresses three issues: (1) Do mothers and teenagers agree less than mothers and children about their friends? (2) Are family and individual characteristics related to agreement? (3) Is agreement related to subsequent substance use? One hundred ten subjects and their mothers provided information on the friendship network at 9 and 13 years, individual and family characteristics at 13 years, and substance use at 15 years. The results indicate little change in the percent of friends the mother knows from middle childhood to early adolescence, although the number of friends the mother does not know does increase significantly. High mother teenager agreement about opposite-sex friends is related to close family relations, social and moral competence, and a lower likelihood of cigarette use. The findings are discussed as they relate to the constructs of individuation in adolescence and parental monitoring.