Dispositional Distrust Moderates the Effect of Deviant Peer Affiliation on Externalizing Symptomatology

Deviant peer affiliation increases risk for externalizing symptomatology. We found that for adolescents who affiliate with deviant peers, the presence of a more distrustful cognitive style (being warier of others' motives) buffered against the impact of deviant peers on externalizing. This buffering effect was particularly strong for Black adolescents.