Characteristics of the influencing peer represent a second class of moderators. Unfortunately, this area has been understudied. Extant research from the last decade suggests that peers high in peer status are more likely than low-status peers to exert socialization effects for aggressive/health-risk behaviors (Cohen & Prinstein, 2006) and depressive symptoms (Prinstein, 2007). It appears that dissimilarity between characteristics of the influencing peer and characteristics of the target adolescent also may moderate influence, such that greater discrepancies between partners on key traits predicts higher susceptibility (e.g., Simon, Aikins, & Prinstein, 2008).
