Self-Concept differences between single and married school-age mothers

Abstract

This study examined differences in self-perceptions between single and married school-age mothers. The Tennessee Self Concept Scale was administered to 84 single and married girls who passed through a school-age parent program over a two-year period and who chose to keep and rear their babies. Data were subjected to a stepwise discriminant analysis to determine an optimal set of variables that would distinguish between the two groups. Results indicated that the single school-age mothers had extremely low self-concepts, suffered from serious emotional problems, had inappropriate coping behaviors, and exhibited significant differences from the comparison group on 11 of 26 variables. The single subjects, in contrast to their married counterparts, perceived themselves as undersirable, unworthy, morally "bad," and unhappy with their behavior, physical selves, and social relationships. The married subjects had nominally low self-concepts, with their most negative perceptions focused on their moralethical selves. Their most positive feelings were expressed about family relationships.