Lying to friends: Examining lie-telling, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms over time during late childhood and adolescence

• Published in: Journal of adolescence (London, England.) Vol. 84; no. 1; pp. 123 - 135
• Main Authors: Dykstra, Victoria W., Willoughby, Teena, Evans, Angela D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2020; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescents; Canada; Child; Child development; Childhood; Couples; Deception; Depression; Depression - psychology; Emotions; Female; Friends - psychology; Friendship; Health care expenditures; Health problems; Humans; Lie-telling; Longitudinal Studies; Lying; Male; Mental depression; Mental health; Romantic relationships; Surveys and Questionnaires; Symptoms; Teenagers; Time; Well being; Canada; Adolescence; Friendship; Depression; Lie-telling
• ISSN: 0140-1971; 1095-9254
• DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.08.003

Lie-telling appears to peak during adolescence; however, previous research has not yet examined lie-telling frequency in adolescents' friendships. Increased lie-telling may be problematic given that honesty is crucial for trust within positive relationships, and more positive relationships lead to more positive well-being. The present study examined adolescents’ lies to friends and longitudinal associations between lying, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms. Canadian adolescents (Time 1: N = 1313, Mage = 11.65, SD = 11.75, 50% male) reported how often they lied to their friends about their mental health/mood, possessions, romantic relationships, school, and to avoid spending time with them. Participants also completed measures of friendship quality and depressive symptoms. Participants completed these measures at two time points one year apart. Poorer friendship quality predicted more frequent lie-telling over time. Greater depressive symptoms predicted more frequent lie-telling over time, and more frequent lie-telling predicted greater depressive symptoms over time. Lies about mental health in particular were bidirectionally associated with both friendship quality and depressive symptoms over time. These findings highlight the developmental importance of lie-telling during adolescence. More negative friendships lead to greater lie-telling over time. Additionally, increased lie-telling predicted and is predicted by depressive symptoms, suggesting that lie-telling may be an important indicator of poor mental health.