Peer relationships refers to the quality of interactions, or relations, between students. The term includes what is commonly referred to in the literature as peer acceptance, peer rejection, and social support. 

Peer relationships affect students at the individual, classroom, and school levels. At the individual student level, a sense of belonging, or relatedness with peers, is widely recognized as a key dimension of emotional well-being that plays a primary role in motivating behavior, including academic behavior. It also serves as a buffer for students who experience bullying, economic disadvantage, and other stressors in life—helping to protect them from negative outcomes. Students lacking friendships, social acceptance, and support from peers, and especially those who experience outright rejection by peers, are at great risk for experiencing a variety of negative outcomes. Such outcomes include loneliness, depression, social anxiety and withdrawal, low self-esteem, acting out, aggression, decreased prosocial behavior, lack of academic engagement and achievement, bullying victimization, dislike for school, and increased negative peer exposure (Bukowski, Laursen, & Rubin, 2018; National Research Council & Institute of Medicine, 2009).

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

George Bear, PhD, is a professor emeritus of school psychology at the University of Delaware. He has written or edited 12 books and over 100 journal articles and book chapters focusing primarily on children's moral development, school discipline, and school climate. He is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Association of School Psychologists. 

Angela Soltys, PhD, is a practicing school psychologist in the Red Clay School District of Delaware, with research interests in the areas of school climate, social and emotional competence, and classroom management and disciplinary techniques.

This NASP Laminated Guide is an updated version of a resource from Helping Handouts: Supporting Students at School and Home, an online digital publication featuring more than 80 handouts for educators and caregivers. To learn more about Helping Handouts, visit https://apps.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/book-store.aspx. 

ISBN: 978-0932955-40-1

This 6-page, laminated quick-reference guide is must for any School Psychologist or educator. This guide includes information on:

• What to Consider When Selecting Interventions and Supports
• Recommendations
• Recommended Resources