Friends are one’s lifeline, and research proves it too. Having mentally healthy friends significantly reduces the likelihood of developing depression and doubles the chances of recovering from depressive symptoms, finds research by the University of Warwick. The study looked at the connection between young friendships and sadness and discovered that, unlike other illnesses, depression did not spread among peers.
The research used data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, examining more than 2,000 adolescents in a network of US high school students. Researchers examined the relationship between a teen’s mood and the moods of their peers in the school community. The findings suggested that depression was not a communicable illness that spread among friends. On the other hand, having mentally sound friends greatly decreases the likelihood of getting depression and increases the likelihood of getting over depressive symptoms.
University of Warwick mathematics researcher Edward Hill, lead author of the research paper said, “Our results suggest that promotion of any friendship between adolescents can reduce depression since having depressed friends does not put them at risk, but having healthy friends is both protective and curative.”
The research advises the following:
- Having friends with good mental health can significantly impact an individual’s risk of developing or recovering from depression.
- Encouraging friendships among teenagers could be a powerful tool in preventing and alleviating depression.
- Social support networks among adolescents are effective in combating mental health issues. It suggests that a strong social network can act as a protective factor against depression.
Another author of the paper, Dr Thomas House senior lecturer in applied mathematics from the University of Manchester said: “As a society, if we enable friendships to develop among adolescents (for example providing youth clubs) each adolescent is more likely to have enough friends with healthy mood to have a protective effect. This would reduce the prevalence of depression.”