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Parents worry about the company their children keep – and many don’t hesitate to say so. Parents who express disapproval of a friendship presumably hope to disrupt the affiliation. But does this tactic work? Researchers at �Թ��� and Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania explored what happens when mothers express their distaste for a child’s friends.

In this study, the friendships of 394 students ages 9 to 14 were tracked across three consecutive semesters to find out whether and how maternal disapproval impacts best friendships. The findings, published in the journal Child Development, reveal that maternal disapproval predicts friendship dissolution. This happens, in part, because maternal disapproval undercuts the foundation of the affiliation by making the friend feel unwelcome, weakening bonds and driving down perceptions of social support until the friendship collapses. Although effective, the researchers warn that parental disapproval of friends carries unintended risks. Previous studies link maternal interference in friendships to subsequent child emotional and behavioral problems, as well as rejection of the child by the peer group.

“Maternal interference in peer relationships can be quite successful,” said Brett Laursen, Ph.D., senior author and a professor of psychology in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. “Moms are very effective relationship ‘hitmen.’ Most friendships don’t survive condemnation by mothers.”

Read the press release.