Gender differences in friendship pattern and relationship to self-esteem among college students

Background: Friendships play an especially important role in the social functioning of a person from childhood till death. Relationship with peers plays a large part in a young person’s life even while the family continues to be significant. Friendships offer people with many positive opportunities despite the negative connotations that peer relationships have too. Peer relationships are very important for healthy development and essential for every individual in all spheres of life. Aim: The present study aimed to find out the gender differences and their relation to the self-esteem in young adults studying in college. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study has been conducted with 100 students, 50 females and 50 males of different faculties selected from six different colleges of Kolkata, West Bengal. Self-made socio-demographic data sheet, Dimensions of Friendship Scale (DFS) and Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale were used for assessment. Results: Females and males were found to differ in their friendship pattern, mostly in the domain of Acceptance, Mutual Assistance, Trust, Understanding and Spontaneity. Self-esteem was also found to have a relationship with respect to the friendship among male participants. Conclusion: Friendship is an important relationship for both females and males where they give value to every aspect of friendship pattern and is also found to have an effect on their self-esteem.