The Potential Emotional Support Burden in Adolescent Girls’ Friendships: A Literature Review of Co-Rumination, Peer Emotion Work, and Mental Health Outcomes

Adolescent friendships are often viewed as protective sources of emotional support, especially during developmental periods when anxiety and depressive symptoms begin to increase. However, less attention has been given to the psychological experiences of adolescents who consistently provide this support. This literature review examines how emotional caregiving within adolescent girls’ friendships may become psychologically demanding while still strengthening closeness. Using a narrative review approach, this paper synthesizes theoretical and empirical research on co-rumination, peer emotion work, gendered emotional socialization, empathetic distress, peer contagion, and internalizing symptoms. Existing research shows that co-rumination can increase friendship quality and intimacy while also being associated with anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. Research on peer emotion work further suggests that adolescent friendships may involve comforting others, managing distress, and remaining emotionally available, although the burden experienced by the support-provider remains under-researched. Gendered emotional expectations may make these patterns especially relevant for girls, whose friendships generally place greater emphasis on empathy, emotional disclosure, support, and relational maintenance. Research on empathetic distress and peer contagion also indicates that friends’ distress and internalizing symptoms can become shared or intensified within close relationships. Overall, the literature suggests that emotional support is not inherently harmful, but it may become psychologically costly when it is chronic, one-sided, and centered on distress. Further research is needed to directly examine emotional exhaustion, boundary difficulties, and perceived responsibility among adolescent girls who regularly assume emotional caregiving roles.