Description

The Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (APRI) is a psychometric tool developed to assess adolescents’ relationships and interactions with their peers. The APRI examines various dimensions of peer relations, including positive and negative interactions, friendship, social support, and aggression.

Purpose

The purpose of the APRI is to measure the quality and nature of adolescents’ relationships with their peers. This assessment can help in understanding the social dynamics that influence adolescent development and in identifying factors that contribute to mental health and social well-being. The results of the APRI can be used by educators, psychologists, counselors, and researchers to design interventions that promote healthy social relationships and reduce instances of bullying and aggression.

Analysis

The APRI includes a series of statements that evaluate different aspects of peer relationships. Participants are asked to respond to the statements using a Likert scale (e.g., from 1 = Never to 5 = Always).
The analysis of the results includes:
Score Calculation: Responses are summed for each dimension to calculate total scores.
Score Interpretation: Scores are compared with normative data to determine the level of quality and nature of adolescents’ peer relationships. Higher scores on positive dimensions indicate healthier social relationships, while higher scores on negative dimensions indicate greater difficulties in peer relations.
Statistical Analysis: Additional analysis may be conducted to explore relationships between peer relation dimensions and other factors, such as mental health, academic performance, and family support.

Calibration

The calibration of the APRI is carried out through studies on large and diverse samples of adolescents to establish normative data and ensure the tool’s reliability and validity. Scores are standardized to allow for reliable comparisons across different populations and subgroups.

References

Rigby, K., & Slee, P. T. (1993). Dimensions of interpersonal relation among Australian children and implications for psychological well-being. Journal of Social Psychology, 133(1), 33–42.
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Blackwell Publishing.
Smith, P. K., Morita, Y., Junger-Tas, J., Olweus, D., Catalano, R., & Slee, P. (Eds.). (1999). The nature of school bullying: A cross-national perspective. Routledge.
Espelage, D. L., & Swearer, S. M. (Eds.). (2004). Bullying in American schools: A social-ecological perspective on prevention and intervention. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Crick, N. R., & Dodge, K. A. (1994). A review and reformulation of social information-processing mechanisms in children’s social adjustment. Psychological Bulletin, 115(1), 74–101.