Conflict and childhood friendship in Taiwan and Canada

The present study assessed cross-cultural differences in friendship characteristics among children from collectivist and individualist cultures. Same-sex dyads of Grade 3 and Grade 4 students in a middle-class suburb of Toronto, Canada and students from a middle-class suburb of Taipei, Taiwan reported on the presence of companionship, conflict, help, security, and closeness in their friendships. The analysis revealed that long-term stability rates for friendships were not significantly different between nations or between boys and girls. Companionship was a significant predictor of friendship continuation among students in Taiwan. Friends in Taiwan reported significantly less conflict in their relationships than did friends in Canada. There was also greater agreement among friends in Taiwan than in Canada on the presence of conflict in the friendship relationship.