Adolescents' friendship quality and over-time development of well-being: The explanatory role of self-esteem.

The findings indicate that higher-quality friendships improve boys' global self-esteem and well-being directly, and that they affect girls' well-being indirectly and positively, by improving their global self-esteem. These results suggest that preventive and intervention-based strategies for the promotion of well-being during the developmental stage of adolescence should incorporate focus on friendships, global self-esteem, and gender specificities.