Children Benefit from Accurate Perceptions of Likability

Children with realistic perceptions of how well they are liked by peers are less likely to become depressed--even if they are not well liked, research at Florida State University shows.

At the beginning and six months into the schoolyear, students in grades 3 to 5 rated how much they liked each of their classmates on a scale of 1 to 5 and predicted their own ratings from each classmate. They also self-reported on perceptions of social acceptance as well as symptoms of depression such as fatigue and feeling sad.

Researchers found that inaccurately high perceptions of likability did not protect against depression and that children with depressive symptoms at the beginning of the study tended to develop a more negatively biased view of peer acceptance, which in turn may increase depressed feelings.

Read more: Depression symptoms less likely in kids with accurate self-perceptions

ABSTRACT: Bias and Accuracy of Children's Perceptions of Peer Acceptance: Prospective Associations with Depressive Symptoms