Support and Stress: How Peer Dynamics Shape Teen Mental Health

Carapeto, M. J., Agostinho, I., Grácio, L., & Santos, D. (2025). Between support and risk: The Dual Role of Peer Relationships in Adolescents’ Mental Health. Children, 12(1569). https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111569

Introduction

Adolescence is a period of rapid developmental change and heightened vulnerability to mental health challenges. Carapeto and colleagues (2025) examined how Portuguese adolescents perceive the positive and negative influences of peers on their mental health—an area where youths’ own voices are often underrepresented. By centering adolescents’ subjective experiences, the study provides critical insight for youth-centered prevention and peer-mentoring initiatives.

Methods

Ninety-nine adolescents between the ages 14 and 19 from a secondary school in southern Portugal responded to two open-ended questions on how peers contribute positively or negatively to well-being. Researchers used a mixed-methods qualitative design: responses were coded through content analysis, with two independent coders developing a consensual category system. The team quantified how many adolescents mentioned each of the resulted themes, allowing a structured youth-driven characterization of peer influences.

Results

Adolescents identified bullying and aggression as the most common negative influence (44%), followed by peer pressure toward risky behaviors (32%), toxic or false friendships (22%), and lack of support (20%). Conversely, the strongest positive influence was social support (63%), including listening, advice, and problem-solving. Additional promotive factors included belonging and connection (35%), emotional well-being boosts (23%), and positive peer characteristics such as loyalty and trust. Fewer youths highlighted social learning (6%), though many implicitly described peers as behavioral models.

Discussion

Findings highlight the dual role peers simultaneously play as sources of resilience and vulnerability. Supportive friendships enhance belonging, coping, and emotional regulation. Negative peer interactions can trigger stress, exclusion, or maladaptive coping such as avoidance and risky behavior. Adolescents may also misinterpret some escape-based coping as helpful, highlighting the need for psycho-education.

Implications for Mentoring Programs

Mentoring programs should equip youth with skills to recognize the difference between supportive and harmful peer relationships while strengthening empathy, assertiveness, and healthy boundary-setting. Training for mentors must include mental health literacy and guidance on how peer interactions shape coping. Programs should also create intentional opportunities for positive, inclusive connection among peers, reinforcing prosocial norms. By integrating adolescents’ own perspectives, mentoring initiatives can more effectively promote resilience and well-being.

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