Residential satisfaction and friendship formation in high- and low-rise student housing: An interactional analysis

Investigated residential satisfaction and friendship formation in high- and low-rise student housing from an interactional perspective. The study involved (a) a comparison of residential satisfaction and friendship formation in high- and low-rise dormitories, and (b) an analysis of the interaction between social competence and type of environment in affecting both residential satisfaction and friendship formation. Ss were 120 freshmen living in university student housing. Results show that residents of low-rise dormitories were significantly more satisfied and established more dormitory-based friendships than residents of a megadorm setting. In addition, a number of interactions were found between social competence (Texas Social Behavior Inventory) and both type of environment and sex of the student, which affected residential satisfaction and the development of dormitory-based friendships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).