title: Big Brothers: impact on Little Brothers' self-concepts and behaviors.
abstract: The impact a Big Brother has on a Little Brother's self-concept and behavior was examined for 45 boys ages 7 to 15. The Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America is a United Way agency dedicated to supplying children from single-parent homes with an adult volunteer of the same sex. The adult serves as a friend and role model for the child. Boys who were matched (n = 23) with a Big Brother were compared to boys who were unmatched (n = 22) but were on a waiting list to receive a Big Brother. All boys completed a self-concept measure, and their mothers completed a checklist regarding the behavior of her child. Results indicated that boys who had a Big Brother reported significantly higher self-concepts than did those who were unmatched. Scores on the behavioral instrument did not yield significant differences between groups. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology, University of Oklahoma, Norman 73019-0260, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scherman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior; D002648:Child; D004243:Divorce; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009825:Oklahoma; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support