Connecting Youth: The Role of Mentoring Approach

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EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

Connecting Youth: The Role of Mentoring Approach Laura J. Austin1 McKenna F. Parnes1 G. Roger Jarjoura2 Thomas E. Keller3 Carla Herrera4 Manolya Tanyu2 Sarah E. O. Schwartz 1 ●











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Received: 2 July 2020 / Accepted: 11 September 2020 / Published online: 24 September 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020

Abstract While formal youth mentoring can positively influence youth connectedness, little research has studied the specific approaches mentors engage in that support mentee social development. This study examines how mentors’ specific approaches are uniquely associated with youth connection outcomes in formal community-based mentoring. Participants were 766 youth, ranging in age from 11 to 14 (M = 12.29), 56.7% female, and racially/ethnically diverse (41.0% Black/ African American, 21.4% Hispanic/Latinx, 20.0% White, 10.2% Multiracial/Multiethnic, 5.9% Native American, 1.2% other race, and 0.4% Asian/Pacific Islander). Person-centered analyses revealed three mentoring profiles which were differentially associated with youth outcomes: “Status Quo Mentors,” who reported low-to-moderate levels of closeness within the mentor–mentee dyad, low levels of connecting their mentees with programs and people in their community, and low levels of mediating for their mentees; “Close Connectors,” who reported moderate-to-high levels of closeness, moderate-to-high levels of connecting, and low levels of mediating; and “Connector-Mediators,” who reported moderate levels of closeness, connecting, and mediating. Youth mentored by “Close Connectors” demonstrated the greatest benefit, with significant improvements in parent–child relationship quality, extracurricular activity involvement, and help-seeking. Results suggest that community-based mentoring programs that emphasize connecting youth within their communities may be more effective in enhancing youth support networks. Keywords

Youth mentoring Mentoring approach Latent profile analysis Connection ●



Introduction Supportive relationships and positive social connections both within and outside the family are important factors in adolescent health and development. Social isolation during adolescence can have negative impacts well into adulthood (Laursen and Hartl 2013), while supportive relationships and positive social connections are among the strongest determinants of positive outcomes (Viner et al. 2012). A substantial body of research has demonstrated the benefits of supportive relationships with non-parental adults

* Sarah E. O. Schwartz [email protected] 1

Department of Psychology, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, USA

2

American Institutes for Research, San Mateo, CA, USA

3

School of Social Work, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA

4

Herrera Consulting Group, LLC, Washington, DC, USA



(e.g. Miranda-Chan et al. 2016). Formal community-based mentoring is an intervention that aims to build such relationships by matching youth with adult volunteers. Yet most for