The relationship between social phobia, friendship quality, and friendship expectations in high school students

Developmental theorists describe friendship development in terms of stages that mature well into adolescence. The purpose of this prospective study is to investigate the possible differences between high school students, with and without social phobia, and their levels of friendship quality and friendship expectation. It is hypothesized that students with social phobia will have lower quality friendships as well as less mature expectations of friendship compared to students without social phobia. A MANOVA analysis will be utilized to identify interactions between these variables. Gender and grade level differences will also be examined. Implications for treatment supplements are discussed.