JOURNAL OF APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 12, 447-465 (1991) Income Level, Gender, Ethnicity, and Household Composition as Predictors of Children's Peer Companionship Outside of School CHARLOTTE J. PATTERSON NANCY A. VADEN PAMELA C. GRIESLER University of Virginia JANIS B. KUPERSMIDT University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Companionship among peers, though widely believed to have salutary effects on children's development, has received relatively little research attention. In a large, heterogeneous sample of elementary school children, we studied the role of family income level, ethnicity, household composition, and gender as predictors of the extent of same-aged peer companionship in activities outside of the classroom. Results revealed that children from low-income homes experienced less peer com- panionship overall, and were isolated from peers in more out-of-school activities than were children from middle-income homes. The results suggest that, relative to their more affluent classmates, children growing up in low-income homes had less companionship from same-aged peers outside of their school classrooms. There is widespread agreement about the importance of peer relations during childhood (Bemdt & Ladd, 1989; Hartup, 1983). Evidence that poor social skills and/or unpopularity with peers may put children at risk for both concurrent and subsequent difficulties of adjustment has long been available (Kohlberg, La- Crosse, & Ricks, 1972). Children who are rejected by peers are more likely to be aggressive and disruptive than are other children (Coie, Dodge, & Kupersmidt, 1990), and are more likely to become delinquent and/or drop out of school (Kupersmidt, Coie, & Dodge, 1990; Parker & Asher, 1987). Children who are well-liked, in contrast, are more likely to be seen by others as behaving in This work was supported in part by a grant from the W. Alton JonesFoundation. We wish to thank Dr. Vincent Cibbarelli and the staff and students of the Charlottesville Public Schools for their cooperation. We also wish to thank Michael Arthur, Charlene Eickholt, Jennifer Kofkin, Lisa Noble, and Karen Welke for their assistance in conducting this study. Correspondence and requests for reprints should be sent to Charlotte L Patterson, Department of Psychology, Gilmer Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville VA 22903. 447