Mentoring Relationships and Programs for Youth

Mentoring is one of the most popular social interventions in American society, with an estimated three million youth in formal one-to-one relationships. Studies have revealed significant associations between youth involvement in mentoring relationships and positive developmental outcomes. These associations are modest, however, and depend on several intervening processes. Centrally important is the formation of close, enduring connections between mentors and youth that foster positive developmental change. Effects of mentoring programs likewise typically have been small in magnitude, but they increase systematically with the use of program practices likely to support relationship development. Gaps between research and practice are evident both in the indiscriminate use of the term mentoring in the prevention field and in a focus on the growth and efficiency of mentoring programs at the expense of quality. Continued expansion of effective mentoring will require a better alignment of research and practice.

[1]  Chuansheng Chen,et al.  Adolescent Problem Behavior and Depressed Mood: Risk and Protection Within and Across Social Contexts , 2002 .

[2]  Renée Spencer,et al.  “It's Not What I Expected” , 2007 .

[3]  W. D. Rosenfeld,et al.  The potential role of an adult mentor in influencing high-risk behaviors in adolescents. , 2000, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[4]  David L. DuBois,et al.  Understanding and Facilitating the Youth Mentoring Movement , 2006 .

[5]  J. Rhodes,et al.  The Test of Time: Predictors and Effects of Duration in Youth Mentoring Relationships , 2002, American journal of community psychology.

[6]  Joseph P. Tierney,et al.  Does Mentoring Work? , 1998 .

[7]  J. Rhodes.  A Model of Youth Mentoring. , 2005 .

[8]  Elena Klaw,et al.  Natural Mentors in the Lives of African American Adolescent Mothers: Tracking Relationships Over Time , 2003 .

[9]  J. Rhodes.  Stand by Me , 2002 .

[10]  R. Langhout,et al.  An Exploratory Study of Youth Mentoring in an Urban Context: Adolescents' Perceptions of Relationship Styles , 2004 .

[11]  J. Rhodes,et al.  Agents of change: pathways through which mentoring relationships influence adolescents' academic adjustment. , 2000, Child development.

[12]  H. Markus,et al.  Possible Selves , 2001 .

[13]  Kristine V. Morrow,et al.  Building Relationships With Youth in Program Settings: A Study of Big Brothers/Big Sisters , 1995 .

[14]  Naida Silverthorn,et al.  Natural mentoring relationships and adolescent health: evidence from a national study. , 2005, American journal of public health.

[15]  David L. DuBois,et al.  Handbook of Youth Mentoring , 2005 .

[16]  J. Durlak,et al.  Primary Prevention Mental Health Programs for Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analytic Review , 1997, American journal of community psychology.

[17]  Nancy Darling,et al.  Naturally Occurring Mentoring in Japan and the United States: Social Roles and Correlates , 2002, American journal of community psychology.

[18]  Tammy D Allen,et al.  Does Mentoring Matter? A Multidisciplinary Meta-Analysis Comparing Mentored and Non-Mentored Individuals. , 2008, Journal of vocational behavior.

[19]  J. Rhodes,et al.  The Protective Influence of Mentoring on Adolescents' Substance Use: Direct and Indirect Pathways , 2005 .

[20]  Barton J. Hirsch,et al.  A Place to Call Home: After-School Programs for Urban Youth , 2004 .

[21]  Jeffrey C. Valentine,et al.  Effectiveness of Mentoring Programs for Youth: A Meta-Analytic Review , 2002, American journal of community psychology.

[22]  Jennifer McMaken,et al.  Making a Difference in Schools: The Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Impact Study. , 2007 .