Much literature on peer influence has relied on central tendency–based approaches to examine the role of peer groups. This article develops a distributional framework that (1) differentiates between the influence of depressive peers and that of a majority group of nondepressive peers; and (2) considers the multilayered nature of peer environments. The authors investigate which segments of the distribution of peer depressive symptoms drive peer effects on adolescent depression across different layers of peer groups. Results from the Add Health data show that, for institutionally imposed peer groups, exposure to depressive peers significantly increases adolescents’ depressive symptoms. For self-selected peer groups, the central tendency of peer depression largely captures its impact on adolescent depression. High parent-child attachment buffers the deleterious consequence of exposure to depressive grademates. The implications of these findings are discussed for research and policy regarding peer effects on adolescent well-being.

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多层次同伴群体在青少年抑郁症中的作用：分布方法

许多关于同伴影响的文献都依赖于基于集中趋势的方法来检查同伴群体的作用。本文开发了一个分布框架，它 (1) 区分抑郁同龄人和大多数非抑郁同龄人的影响；(2) 考虑对等环境的多层性质。作者调查了同伴抑郁症状分布的哪些部分在不同层次的同伴群体中推动了同伴对青少年抑郁症的影响。Add Health 数据的结果表明，对于制度强加的同龄人群体，接触抑郁同龄人会显着增加青少年的抑郁症状。对于自我选择的同伴群体，同伴抑郁症的集中趋势在很大程度上体现了其对青少年抑郁症的影响。高度的亲子依恋缓冲了与抑郁的同学接触的有害后果。讨论了这些发现对关于同伴对青少年幸福感的影响的研究和政策的影响。