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Family Environment as a Predictor of the Quality of College Students' Friendships

University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, richard.wise{at}und.nodak.edu

Alan R. King

University of North Dakota, Grand Forks

Family environment appears to be an important determinant of friendship quality. Despite this apparent link, few studies have explored how family environment relates to friendship, especially among college students. The present study examined the relationship between family environment and best friendships, by administering the Family Environment Scale (FES) and the Acquaintance Description Form—Revised (ADF-F2) to 408 college students. Family environment was a better predictor of friendship quality for female college students than for male college students. For the women, a total of 13% of the FES and ADF-F2 correlations were significant at the p < .01 level. The best predictors of friendship quality for the women were the FES active recreational and intellectual—cultural dimensions. Gender differences were also evident in students' perceptions of their families' environments and their views of the quality of their best friendships. Implications of the present study for college adjustment and retention are discussed.

Key Words: Family Environment Scale • Acquaintance Description Form • friendship qualities • best friend

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