Perceptions of Social Support in Urban At-Risk Boys and Girls

This study explored at-risk boys’ and girls’ self-perceived social support. Participants were 141 female and 310 male, 8- to 12-year-olds from low-income neighborhoods; 54% of the sample is Latino. Using items from the four subscales of Harter’s (1985) Social Support Scale for Children, factor analysis was used to explore differences in the underlying structure of social support. Analyses were performed separately for boys and girls. Analyses for girls’ social support clearly reflected the four support types: close friend, family, classmate, and teacher. Boys did not reflect distinct types of support, indicating more similarity in their perceived social support from different people