A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Role of Youth Emotion Regulation in Mentoring Relationships

Youth mentoring programs have grown in popularity, both within the United States (U.S.) and abroad, as an intervention to support youth with common behavioral and emotional difficulties. However, it is unclear whether certain dimensions of youth risk may diminish the positive impact of formalized mentoring relationships. The current study therefore examined whether youth emotion regulation, a transdiagnostic risk factor for both externalizing and internalizing behavioral difficulties, predicted mentoring relationship quality and the likelihood of early match closure. Participants included 1,298 randomized mentor–youth dyads from two nationwide mentoring programs, one with chapters across the U.S. (youth: 56% female; 37% White), and another with chapters across Mexico (youth: 49% female; 100% non-Indigenous). At baseline, youth completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA). At program completion, youth and mentors completed measures of mentoring relationship quality. Multigroup structural equation models of youth outcomes revealed that greater youth use of cognitive reappraisal predicted better mentoring relationship quality in both countries when co-varying for sex, and that this relationship was stronger for mentor–youth pairs in the U.S. compared to those in Mexico. These findings have important implications for understanding the ways in which youth characteristics might shape the quality and impact of mentoring relationships across different cultural settings.

     

Perceptions of mentoring of full-time occupational therapy faculty in the United States

The purpose of this study was to describe the occurrence, nature and perception of the influence of mentoring for full‐time occupational therapy faculty members who are on the tenure track or eligible for re‐appointment in the United States. An online survey was sent during 2010 September, the beginning of the academic year, to all 818 potential participants in the United States entry‐level and doctoral programmes. Fifty six of 107 participants who met the criteria reported being in a mentoring relationship and positively rated their perception of the influence of mentoring on academic success and academic socialization. The response of all participants to open‐ended questions describes preferred mentoring characteristics (providing information, support), benefits (having someone to go to, easing the stress) and challenges (not enough time, mentoring not valued). Findings inform current and potential faculty of the current state of mentoring. Administrators can use this information when designing mentoring opportunities, educating mentors and mentees about the mentoring process, arranging mentors/mentees release time for engaging in the mentoring process and finally, managing the mentor/mentee needs. The cross‐sectional survey of the United States occupational therapy faculty limits generalizability yet paves the way for future studies to explore retention and recruitment of mentored faculty across countries. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

She's My Second Mum: Young People Building Relationships in Uncertain Circumstances

Youth mentoring has become a key element of UK youth policy in recent years and is now integrated into a range of policy initiatives aiming to tackle social exclusion. It is claimed by proponents of planned mentoring that the introduction of a mentor enhances resilience through the provision of a consistent, caring relationship that transcends professional boundaries. It has also been suggested that successful mentoring has the potential to enhance the social capital of disadvantaged young people by acting as a lever into education and training. However, despite the popularity of the concept, research findings consistently demonstrate that the theoretical base and empirical evidence of the value of the concept remain weak. This paper explores young people's perceptions of successful mentoring in relation to their social networks. It draws on findings from a recent Scottish study of planned mentoring interventions, and raises questions about the role of mentoring in assisting young people to renegotiate difficult family relationships. The paper uses the framework of social capital to explore these dimensions. It suggests that, in some circumstances, successful mentoring can assist in building up skills in dealing with relationships but that this is a fragile and uneven process.     

Mentoring: implications for career development

Mentoring can be viewed as a set of behaviors applied toward a relationship that provides guidance and support in career development. This article reviews some of the current literature on mentoring and presents concepts that may benefit persons in the profession of dietetics. The process of mentoring provides mentors with career and psychosocial rewards, while protégés benefit from a wide variety of career and/or social opportunities made available through the relationship. Rewards for each member of the dyad appear dependent on the age and needs of each person. An alternative to mentoring, known as the patron system, has been proposed; that system places mentoring at the end point of a continuum which includes peer pals, guides, and sponsors. Networking, a crucial aspect of career development, broadens opportunities for prospective mentors or sponsors and protégés to meet and interact. Entry-level dietitians can benefit from mentor-protégé relationships which groom young professionals for leadership positions. The question to be answered is how such relationships can be supported in our various work settings. A model of the mentoring process in dietetics is proposed.     

Mentoring Highly Aggressive Children: Pre�CPost Changes in Mentors�� Attitudes, Personality, and Attachment Tendencies

This study examined the degree to which mentoring highly aggressive children was associated with changes in mentors' attitudes, personality, and attachment tendencies. Participants were 102 college students who each mentored an aggressive, high-risk child across three academic semesters (spring, fall, spring). We examined pre- to post-mentoring changes in attitudes about mentoring efficacy and future parenting, Big Five personality characteristics, and attachment tendencies. Mentors also rated the impact of the mentoring relationship in their lives, and both mentors and mentees rated support of the mentoring relationship. Results indicated a statistically significant decrease over time in mentors' ratings of self-efficacy, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness. These findings held even when controlling for ratings of relationship impact. However, mentors who rated the mentoring relationship as supportive tended to experience increased openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness and less attachment-related avoidance over time. Child-rated support negatively predicted mentors' post-mentoring attitudes toward future parenting. Discussed are the potential costs of mentoring highly aggressive children and strategies that could help increase benefits to mentors.     

Promoting Successful Youth Mentoring Relationships: A Preliminary Screening Questionnaire

Youth mentoring programs are an increasingly popular intervention, and although successful mentoring relationships can promote a range of positive developmental outcomes, relationships that fail can lead to decrements in a youth’s functioning and self-esteem. The present research develops and validates a youth mentoring relationship quality inventory, based on data from a national evaluation of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) mentoring programs (N = 347 youth). This tool can be administered to adolescents who have been assigned mentors in order to assess the quality of the relationship as it is forming and to identify dyads that may need additional support before those relationships fail. Implications of such a tool for mentoring interventions and research are discussed.Editors’ Strategic Implications: Reliability and validity data are presented for a measure of youth’s perceptions of the quality of their mentoring relationship. This measure shows promise as a tool for research and evaluation of a wide array of mentoring programs due to its brevity, demonstrated psychometrics, and straightforward focus on the mentoring relationship.     

A qualitative evaluation of a mentoring program for Aboriginal health workers and allied health professionals

Objective: Effective partnerships between Aboriginal Health Workers and non‐Aboriginal health professionals are essential to achieve Aboriginal health outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate a mentoring workforce development strategy for Aboriginal Health Workers and non‐Aboriginal allied health professionals. Methods: Thirty‐four Aboriginal Health Workers and non‐Aboriginal health professionals were recruited to the mentoring program where they were paired and established a learning relationship for approximately six months. A qualitative evaluation with thirty of the participants was undertaken involving in‐depth interviews at the completion of the program. Results: A total of 18 mentoring partnerships were formed across Victoria. The data revealed three key themes in relation to the evaluation of the program: (1) The mentoring program facilitated two‐way learning, (2) The Aboriginal Health Workers and non‐Aboriginal health professional participants reported being able to meet their identified learning needs through the partnership, (3) The capacity to improve practice was facilitated through readiness to learn and change practice and personal attributes of the participants, as well as organisation and management support. Conclusions: Peer mentoring between Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal health workforce was found to be a powerful mechanism to promote two‐way learning that has the capacity to meet learning needs and promote practice improvement. Implications: Peer mentoring may be part of a multi‐strategy approach to the development of the Aboriginal health workforce.     

Evaluation of the mentor-mentee relationship in an occupational therapy mentorship programme

Mentor group relationships in an occupational therapy university curriculum were investigated. In phase I, mentors (n = 23) and mentees (n = 124) were surveyed over a four year period. In phase II, 14 mentees from the same time period were surveyed after graduation. It was found that mentors and mentees surveyed agreed that their mentor group leader displayed more mentoring (i.e. ongoing partnership for guidance and support) than coaching (i.e. short-term relationship for providing feedback on areas requiring change) characteristics, and most agreed that, post-graduation, their mentor group leader had been a mentor to them. Mentees viewed their mentors predominantly as a role model or counsellor and emphasized knowledge, experience, guidance, and support as desirable attributes of a mentor. Contact with mentors for resources, support, or job-related purposes continued after graduation for more than half of mentees. Some mentees reported that peer mentoring had also occurred. Limitations of the study include the small sample size in Phase II and some aspects of survey design. Future areas of research identified include studying the development of the relationship over time (i.e. pre-, mid-way, and post-programme), comparing relationships between mentors and mentees who have similar versus dissimilar expectations for the programme, further examining peer mentoring or group relationships, and continuing post-graduation surveys with a larger sample size for increased reliability.     

How Mentor Support Interacts With Mother and Teacher Support in Predicting Youth Academic Adjustment: An Investigation Among Youth Exposed to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada Programs

This study examines three potential contributions (i.e., additive only, hierarchical compensatory, and hierarchical conditional) of mentor support to youth academic adjustment, taking into account interactions with support from mothers and teachers. We derived data from a larger study of the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Canada community mentoring program. The sample included 427 youth (average age 9.8 years; 64% girls, 56% White) who received one-to-one community-based mentoring for at least three months. We assessed perceptions of support from mothers and teachers before the match and assessed perceptions of support from mentors five times throughout the mentoring experience. Hierarchical linear regression analyses showed that mentor support predicted positive changes in youth academic adjustment (i.e., school attitude, academic self-efficacy, assistance seeking, and problem solving) mainly when mentees already reported high support from their mother. This finding clearly supports the conditional model and invites researchers to question the assumption that mentoring constitutes a corrective experience for young people (i.e., the compensatory model). BBBS agencies are strongly encouraged to involve parents in the mentoring process and to view them as experts, assets, and allies in their effort to meet the youth’s needs.     

Mentoring junior healthcare administrators: a description of mentoring practices in 127 U.S. hospitals

A survey instrument about mentoring junior healthcare administrators was mailed to 485 senior-level executives-chief executive officers, hospital administrators, and presidents. Completed surveys were returned by 127 senior executives (26 percent response rate). On average, the respondents were 53 years old, had nine years of organizational tenure in their current position, and had 16.5 years of career tenure as a senior healthcare executive. The mean age of when the respondents first had a mentor was 28 years old. The average length of the respondents' relationship with their mentor was 3.56 years. Although healthcare executives believed mentoring benefits the healthcare industry as a whole, they reported that the benefits were even greater for the hospital where mentoring was done. Personal satisfaction was cited as the primary reason for serving as a mentor. In the 127 organizations represented by the respondents, informal mentoring programs were more prevalent than formal mentoring programs. Our findings suggest that healthcare executives in formal mentoring programs may be more likely to support mentoring than individuals who entered informal mentoring relationships. Those who reported being mentors or engaging in mentoring-supportive activities had a longer job tenure and career tenure than did individuals who had not served as mentors. The study suggests that mentoring--in particular, informal mentoring--is a popular activity in U.S. hospitals and is carried out by experienced healthcare executives whose primary motivation is personal satisfaction.     

Perceived Autonomy and Relatedness as Moderating the Impact of Teacher-Student Mentoring Relationships on Student Academic Adjustment

This study examined the impact of a 10-hour teacher-student mentoring relationship on the academic adjustment of at-risk college students. A quasi-experimental design involving a comparison group (NM: students with No Mentor), a High Relatedness/Autonomy group (HR/HA: students who perceived high levels of relatedness and autonomy during the mentoring process) and a Low Relatedness/Autonomy group (LR/LA: students who perceived low levels of relatedness and autonomy during the mentoring process) was used for that purpose. Academic adjustment and performance were assessed before (Time 1) and five months after involvement in mentoring (Time 3) for all students. Perceived relatedness and autonomy were assessed after the last mentoring meeting (Time 2) for students involved in mentoring relationships only.Results indicated better social adjustment and institutional attachment in college for the HR students than for the LR and NM students, even after controlling for initial adjustment, performance and social network dispositions. In addition, the LR and LA students presented lower academic and emotional adjustment in college and lower academic performance than NM, HR, and HA students. The potential positive and negative impacts of mentoring relationships are discussed in light of autonomy and relatedness processes.Editors’ Strategic Implications: Especially valuable is the articulation of why mentoring might be expected to affect social and academic adjustment outcomes via its effects on the development of autonomy and relatedness. Application of attachment theory and measurement to the study of mentoring is a strategy that shows promise.     

Mentoring Early-Career Preventionists: Current Views from Mentors and Protégés

In prevention science, much of the training occurs outside of a formal graduate program and mentorship is invaluable to early-career individuals. A sample of the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) membership (N?=?97) from a wide range of career levels completed an online questionnaire in spring 2010. Almost 20% identified as mentors, 32% as protégés, and 49% as both a mentor and a protégé. Most mentoring relationships were established in graduate school, but professional organizations such as SPR facilitated nearly one in five mentoring relationships. Qualitative results suggested that participants value their professional organization's support of mentoring and would support initiatives to increase mentoring relationships specifically among SPR members. Although all mentor functions and protégé responsibilities were rated as important, professional support was the highest ranked mentor function and taking initiative the highest ranked protégé responsibility. Additionally, the qualitative results revealed that interpersonal skills and commitment to the mentoring process were seen as key to positive mentoring relationships. We also found that formal documentation of mentoring agreements was rare and a slight preference for a match on gender or ethnicity was observed for protégés from nondominant groups. The discussion includes implications for individuals and implications for promoting high-quality mentoring within professional organizations.     

The Study of Mentoring in the Learning Environment (SMILE): A Randomized Evaluation of the Effectiveness of School-based Mentoring

The effect of providing youth school-based mentoring (SBM), in addition to other school-based support services, was examined with a sample of 516 predominately Latino students across 19 schools. Participants in a multi-component, school-based intervention program run by a youth development agency were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) supportive services alone or (2) supportive services plus SBM. Compared to community-based mentoring, the duration of the SBM was brief (averaging eight meetings), partly because the agency experienced barriers to retaining mentors. Intent-to-treat (ITT) main effects of SBM were tested using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and revealed small, positive main effects of mentoring on self-reported connectedness to peers, self-esteem (global and present-oriented), and social support from friends, but not on several other measures, including grades and social skills. Three-way cross-level interactions of sex and school level (elementary, middle, and high school) revealed that elementary school boys and high school girls benefited the most from mentoring. Among elementary school boys, those in the mentoring condition reported higher social skills (empathy and cooperation), hopefulness, and connectedness both to school and to culturally different peers. Among high school girls, those mentored reported greater connectedness to culturally different peers, self-esteem, and support from friends. Findings suggest no or iatrogenic effects of mentoring for older boys and younger girls. Therefore, practitioners coordinating multi-component programs that include SBM would be wise to provide mentors to the youth most likely to benefit from SBM and bolster program practices that help to support and retain mentors.     

Exploring Change Processes in School-Based Mentoring for Bullied Children

We examined change processes associated with the school-based, lunchtime mentoring of bullied children. We used data from a one-semester open trial of Lunch Buddy (LB) mentoring (N = 24) to examine changes in bullied children’s lunchtime peer relationships. We also tested whether these changes predicted key outcomes (i.e., peer victimization, social preference) post-mentoring. Results provided partial support that bullied children paired with LB mentors experienced improved lunchtime peer relationships and that gains in lunchtime relationships predicted post-mentoring levels of social preference and peer victimization. Neither child nor mentors’ ratings of the mentoring relationship predicted post-mentoring outcomes; however, child-rated mentor support and conflict predicted improvements in lunchtime peer relationships. We discuss implications for future research on school-based mentoring as a form of selective intervention for bullied children.     

Attachment Security,the Quality of the Mentoring Relationship and Protégés’ Adjustment

Associations among protégés’ attachment orientations, the quality of their mentoring relationships, and mentoring outcomes were explored within the context of an Israeli national community-based mentoring program (Perach) comprising 167 protégés (47 % females, mean age 9.6). Contrary to expectations, we did not find a correlation between protégés’ level of attachment security and the quality of their mentoring relationship. However, the findings indicated associations between a positive mentoring relationship and protégés’ adjustment at the end of mentoring. Moreover, protégés’ attachment security moderated the associations between the quality of their mentoring relationships and their adjustment at the end of mentoring. Among secure protégés, a positive mentoring relationship was more positively associated with general self-concept than among insecure protégés. Although insecure protégés’ positive mentoring relationships were negatively associated with loneliness at the end of mentoring, these relationships were positively associated among insecure individuals. The theoretical and practical implications for mentoring interventions are discussed.     

Natural mentoring relationships and adolescent health: evidence from a national study

OBJECTIVES: We used nationally representative data to examine the impact of natural (or informal) mentoring relationships on health-related outcomes among older adolescents and young adults. METHODS: We examined outcomes from Wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health as a function of whether or not respondents reported a mentoring relationship. Logistic regression was used with control for demographic variables, previous level of functioning, and individual and environmental risk. RESULTS: Respondents who reported a mentoring relationship were more likely to exhibit favorable outcomes relating to education/work (completing high school, college attendance, working >/= 10 hours a week), reduced problem behavior (gang membership, hurting others in physical fights, risk taking), psychological well-being (heightened self-esteem, life satisfaction), and health (physical activity level, birth control use). However, effects of exposure to individual and environmental risk factors generally were larger in magnitude than protective effects associated with mentoring. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a broad and multifaceted impact of mentoring relationships on adolescent health. However, mentoring relationships alone are not enough to meet the needs of at-risk youths and therefore should be incorporated into more comprehensive interventions.     

Building Positive Relationships: An Evaluation of Process and Outcomes in a Big Sister Program

Research has shown that one-to-one mentoring has beneficial effects on the development of children who experience some form of disadvantage in childhood. What is not known is whether a nonintensive group program, in conjunction with one-to-one mentoring, will have even greater benefits for children. This study assesses the effects of a group program called Building Positive Relationships which was offered to 31 Little Sisters in grades three to final year of high school. A wait list comparison group of 21 Little Sisters who were in a one-to-one mentoring relationship and expressed interest in the program was part of the design. Outcomes measured included levels of self-esteem, empathy, family and peer relationships, problem-solving skills, and self-advocacy skills. The findings showed that significant changes occurred in level of self-esteem which were maintained at followup.     

MentorLink: Empowering occupational therapists through mentoring

The MentorLink program of facilitated mentoring is an OT AUSTRALIA Victoria (Australian Association of Occupational Therapists - Victoria Inc.) initiative, which aimed to meet the need of occupational therapists, as expressed at the Victorian Occupational Therapy State Conference in 1997, for more professional support and assistance to be provided to Victorian occupational therapists. In 2003, the MentorLink program continues to thrive, and has now been renamed MentorLink — Allied Health as it has been expanded to include the professions of podiatry and physiotherapy, with speech pathology and social work soon to join. Wilding and Marais-Strydom (2002) present a brief overview of the program and highlight how it can be used as a method of continuing professional development, while this paper aims to inspire Australian occupational therapists to consider empowering themselves through mentoring, by presenting a case story of a mentoring relationship in action.     

Different Roles and Different Results: How Activity Orientations Correspond to Relationship Quality and Student Outcomes in School-Based Mentoring

This prospective, mixed-methods study investigated how the nature of joint activities between volunteer mentors and student mentees corresponded to relationship quality and youth outcomes. Focusing on relationships in school-based mentoring programs in low-income urban elementary schools, data were obtained through pre–post assessments, naturalistic observations, and in-depth interviews with mentors and mentees. Adopting an exploratory approach, the study employed qualitative case study methods to inductively identify distinctive patterns reflecting the focus of mentoring activities. The activity orientations of relationships were categorized according to the primary functional role embodied by the mentor and the general theme of interactions: teaching assistant/tutoring, friend/engaging, sage/counseling, acquaintance/floundering. Next, these categories were corroborated by comparing the groups on quantitative assessments of relationship quality and change in child outcomes over time. Relationships characterized by sage mentoring, which balanced amicable engagement with adult guidance, were rated most favorably by mentees on multiple measures of relationship quality. Furthermore, students involved in sage mentoring relationships showed declines in depressive symptoms and aggressive behaviors. For disconnected pairs (acquaintances), students reported more negative relationship experiences. Findings suggest effective mentoring relationships represent a hybrid between the friendly mutuality of horizontal relationships and the differential influence of vertical relationships.