Mutual Support Systems within Single and Two-Parent Families and their Effects on Adolescent Self-Esteem

The purpose of this study was to investigate the\ud possible unique opportunities for development that young adolescents might have within \ud single-parent families. Testing the amount and direction of psychological support and consultation \ud within single and two-parent families, it\ud was hypothesized that single-parent families would have more mutually supportive relationships and \ud more consultation between the mother and the adolescent than in two-parent families. This in turn \ud would have a positive effect on the adolescents' self-esteem. 14 single-parent and 6 two-parent \ud families were studied using three questionnaires. No proof was found for the main hypotheses, but \ud additional analysis\ud of the data provided suggestions for future study of these\ud issues