Friendship is said to promote psychological and physical well‐being and increase social inclusion. Yet, intergenerational friendship has garnered little research attention due to the assumed dominance of age homophily in friendship. In this article we explore intergenerational friendship from the perspective of “younger” and “older” friends at the “generational book‐ends” of the life course. We focus on the role that intergenerational friendship plays in processes of social inclusion in the everyday lives of the participants, bringing together a study conducted in Finland and one in Ireland. Both studies employ qualitative methodology, drawing from interviews with 31 young people who were refugees (aged 13–18) in Finland and 23 older people (aged 65+) in Ireland. Our findings reveal that the younger and the older participants concur on the qualities and benefits of intergenerational friendship. Additionally, while age is not a uniform definer of friendships, differences in chronological age are not meaningless but support caring, enjoyment, and inclusion in alternative ways compared to peer‐aged friendships. Access to diverse company, distinct support, broader networks, and alternative identities lead to increased experiences of social inclusion at a personal and societal level. We conclude by calling on policy makers and communities to create spaces and opportunities for inclusion through friendship for all generations.

中文翻译：

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代际友谊作为社会包容的管道？来自“书尾”的见解

据说友谊可以促进心理和身体健康并增加社会包容性。然而，由于年龄同质性在友谊中占主导地位，代际友谊几乎没有引起研究关注。在本文中，我们从生命历程的“世代书端”的“年轻”和“年长”朋友的角度探讨代际友谊。我们关注代际友谊在参与者日常生活中的社会包容过程中所起的作用，汇集了在芬兰和爱尔兰进行的一项研究。两项研究均采用定性方法，来自对芬兰 31 名难民（13-18 岁）和爱尔兰 23 名老年人（65 岁以上）的采访。我们的研究结果表明，年轻和年长的参与者都同意代际友谊的品质和好处。此外，虽然年龄不是友谊的统一定义，但与同龄友谊相比，实际年龄的差异并非毫无意义，而是以不同的方式支持关怀、享受和包容。获得多元化的公司、独特的支持、更广泛的网络和替代身份会增加个人和社会层面的社会包容体验。最后，我们呼吁政策制定者和社区通过友谊为所有世代​​创造包容的空间和机会。与同龄人的友谊相比，享受和包容的方式不同。获得多元化的公司、独特的支持、更广泛的网络和替代身份会增加个人和社会层面的社会包容体验。最后，我们呼吁政策制定者和社区通过友谊为所有世代​​创造包容的空间和机会。与同龄人的友谊相比，享受和包容的方式不同。获得多元化的公司、独特的支持、更广泛的网络和替代身份会增加个人和社会层面的社会包容体验。最后，我们呼吁政策制定者和社区通过友谊为所有世代​​创造包容的空间和机会。