Understanding Family–Peer Linkages: The Interplay Among Family Emotional Expressiveness, Social Skills, and Friendship Quality From Middle Childhood to Early Adolescence

This study highlights that parental emotion socialization appears to be particularly effective for girls, as positive FEE provides a foundation for girls' subsequent social skills and the formation and maintenance of high-quality friendships. However, for boys, friendship is the important source of social support during this developmental stage and can mitigate negative emotional dynamics within their families. These findings offer new insights for gender-specific socialization interventions from middle childhood to early adolescence.