Targeted, goal-focused approaches to mentoring can improve behavioral and mental health outcomes than more recreational, non-specific approaches. However, a focus on goals needs to be balanced with ...openness to including mentees’ preferences. This study builds on prior work by exploring the benefits of goal- and youth-focused approaches to mentoring relationships from the youth mentee’s perspective, including their associations with relationship measures (closeness and tension) and mental health outcomes (i.e., conduct problems, emotional symptoms, and depressive symptoms). This study was a secondary analysis of data from 2165 youth participating in thirty nationally representative mentoring programs in the United States. On average, youth were 12.3-years-old (SD = 1.43, range = 9–16) and the majority were female (55%); 36.7% were Black/African American, 22.4% were White, and 23.5% were Latino/Hispanic. Path analyses revealed 1) youth- and goal-focused approaches were positively associated with closeness, 2) youth-focused approaches were negatively associated with tension, 3) goal-focused approaches were positively associated with tension. At follow-up, a stronger mentoring relationship (less tension and greater closeness) was related to positive youth outcomes. As the field of mentoring corrects for an overemphasis on intuitive approaches and moves towards more targeted directions, it should resist veering too far from what sets the field apart from skills-training models: the role of a caring relationship.
Research suggests that mentoring programs may promote a range of positive outcomes in youth populations. Less is known, however, about the extent to which such programs are effective in specialized ...youth populations, such as youth involved in the foster care system. The current study aimed to investigate the extent to which mentoring interventions promote positive outcomes among youth involved in the foster care system and to systematically explore factors that may moderate the effectiveness of mentoring interventions. Using a multilevel meta-analytic approach, this study estimated the effect size of nine formal mentoring programs in the United States serving youth involved with the foster care system (total
n
= 55,561). Analyses revealed a small-to-medium-sized overall effect (
g
= 0.342). Moderator analyses revealed weaker effects for studies containing higher proportions of youth with emotional abuse histories. Programs deploying near-peer mentors were more than twice as effective as intergenerational mentors. The findings highlight the salience of emotional abuse history, suggesting the utility of providing mentor trainings in trauma-informed care for this population.
The aim of this study was to examine contextual antecedents and well-being indicators associated with children's and adolescents' access to supportive nonparent adults (SNPAs). We conducted secondary ...data analysis of the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health, a large-scale caregiver-reported survey. We analyzed separate subsamples of children (ages 6-11, n = 12,849) and adolescents (ages 12-17, n = 17,628). For both children and adolescents, markers of social advantage (e.g., White race, nonimmigrant families, neighborhood/community capital, access to extracurriculars) increased the likelihood of having SNPAs, according to parent or caregiver reports. Familial factors (e.g., parent participation in school and extracurricular activities) were stronger predictors of SNPA presence for children. Access to SNPAs was negatively associated with social difficulties among children and adolescents and positively associated with curiosity and overall health among adolescents. In conclusion, disadvantage across multiple ecological levels impairs children's and adolescents' access to SNPAs. Having an SNPA may be associated with some aspects of youth well-being, although causality cannot be inferred in cross-sectional data.
Background
Boredom is a common complaint among students. Boredom was previously found to be negatively associated with academic outcomes, such as academic motivation, strategies, and achievement. It ...is of interest to understand students’ in‐class boredom, especially factors that might exacerbate it.
Aims
The current study examines the influence of teacher's boredom on students’ in‐class boredom and learning experience. It aims to understand the relationship between teacher boredom, students’ perceived teacher boredom, student boredom, and student learning motivation.
Sample
A total of 437 students (54.8% female, MAge = 14.5 years, SD = 1.6) and 17 of their teachers (29.4% female, 76.5% 40 years old or below) participated in the study.
Methods
We conducted an experience sampling study, in which participants completed a 2‐week diary. Data were analysed using multilevel modelling.
Results and Conclusions
Results from multilevel modelling of 2,675 post‐class evaluations indicated that teacher boredom was negatively associated with students’ motivation. However, the relationship between teacher boredom and students’ perceived teacher boredom was not significant, suggesting that students did not accurately perceive whether their teacher was bored. Results from indirect effect analysis further revealed that students’ perception of teacher boredom predicted student learning motivation through student boredom. In other words, perceiving teachers being bored promoted students’ own feeling of boredom, which in turn reduced their learning motivation. Together, these results indicate that when a teacher is bored in class, or when students perceive that their teacher is bored, students would have lower learning motivation.
Weather-related disasters are increasing in both frequency and severity, which in turn increases the likelihood for the development of adverse mental health outcomes (Augustinavicius et al., 2021; ...CRED & UNDRR, 2015; NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 2020). Religion and spirituality are an accessible form of coping that many people turn to during and after weather-related disasters and may be especially valuable to survivors who face barriers to accessing mental health treatment or may not feel served by formal mental health institutions (Abu-Raiya & Pargament, 2015; Bryant-Davis & Wong, 2013). Researchers have drawn distinctions between positive religious coping (PRC) and negative religious coping (NRC), both conceptually and in their relation to mental health outcomes (Pargament et al., 2011). This study utilized data from the Resilience in Survivors of Katrina project, an ongoing longitudinal study of low-income, female, primarily Black Hurricane Katrina survivors, and drew on four waves of data from before the hurricane in 2005 through 2018 to explore the longitudinal relationship between religious coping and mental health outcomes. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that NRC was a significant predictor of posttraumatic stress, b = .14, p < .05, whereas PRC was a significant predictor of posttraumatic growth, b = .22, p < .01. Future research should further examine associations between religious coping styles and later well-being as well as strategies for beneficial outcomes.
Natural mentors are important developmental assets for youth. To understand the nature and influence of natural mentors, scholars have often adopted Granovetter’s (1973) model, where “strong ties” ...refer to individuals in one’s close social network and “weak ties” refer to a broader network of heterogeneous relationships with nonfamilial others. This dichotomy can obscure the role of certain mentors like family friends and friend’s parents, who may transverse these categories. We used a multi-informant approach, drawing on mentee and mentor data from two nationally representative studies, to explore family friends and friend’s parents as a unique type of natural mentor. Study 1 (
n
= 3,133) uses Add Health data to explore the sociodemographic predictors of these mentors, whereas Study 2 (
n
= 343) uses the Power of Relationships Study to examine contexts, motivations, and perceived barriers associated with this previously understudied group of mentors. Results revealed significant sociodemographic predictors of having a friend’s parent or family friend mentor. In addition, results suggest that these ties engage in mentoring in youth-accessible contexts, often mentor as a result of a request from a youth’s parent, and that they may be less likely to perceive certain barriers to mentoring youth. Implications about the role of this specific type of natural mentor are discussed.
Highlights
Friend’s parents & family friends are an understudied type of natural mentor.
Demographic factors may predict youth’s nomination of a friend’s parent mentor.
Friend’s parents & family friends engage in mentoring in youth-accessible contexts.
Family friends & friend’s parents mentor due to requests from youths’ parents.
These mentors are less likely than other mentors to perceive barriers to mentoring.
Theories of boredom assert that boredom is a product of situational meaninglessness. We conducted two studies to test if the perceived meaningfulness of a situation is associated with state boredom, ...above and beyond sadness, personality traits, and boredom proneness. In Study 1, 105 participants (72.4% female: mean age = 33.9 years,
SD
= 17.5) described situations in which they experienced boredom, no boredom, engagement, or sadness. They then rated the level of state boredom, sadness, and meaninglessness that they experienced in that situation. As hypothesized, state boredom was associated with situational meaninglessness, before and after controlling for sadness. In Study 2, 148 participants (73.0% female; mean age = 19.2 years,
SD
= 1.8) first provided baseline data on personality traits and boredom proneness. Through a smartphone app-based experience-sampling method, they then responded to a brief questionnaire multiple times a day, across 7 days. The questionnaire asked about the nature of their current activity, whether the activity was done alone or with other people, and their affective state. Results from multilevel modelling of 3022 entries suggest that perceived meaningfulness of the activity was negatively associated with state boredom, above and beyond sadness, personality, and boredom proneness. We also found that being with others during the activity acted as a moderator; activities lower in perceived meaningfulness were associated with higher ratings of state boredom when done with others than when done alone. These results demonstrate that perceptions of meaninglessness characterize state boredom.
Cross‐age peer mentoring for youth: A meta‐analysis Burton, Samantha; Raposa, Elizabeth B.; Poon, Cyanea Y. S. ...
American journal of community psychology,
September 2022, 2022-09-00, 20220901, Letnik:
70, Številka:
1-2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Although most mentoring programs for youth are structured around intergenerational relationships, a growing number of programs rely on cross‐age peer mentoring. Such programs capitalize on the ...availability of youth mentors to promote positive outcomes in younger peers. This study used a multilevel meta‐analytic approach to estimate the effect size of cross‐age peer mentoring programs and evaluate potential moderators of peer mentoring program effectiveness. Analyses included six studies and revealed a medium‐sized overall effect of cross‐age peer mentoring programs (g = 0.45). Several characteristics moderated effect sizes, with larger effects for programs that were conducted outside of the school setting (i.e., weekend, summer, or in community settings), conducted in urban settings, and had moderate/high levels of adult oversight and supervision. Results highlight the potential benefits of cross‐age peer mentoring for youth.
Highlights
Analyses revealed a medium‐sized overall effect of cross‐age peer mentoring programs (g = 0.45).
Cross‐age peer mentoring can be an accessible intervention for promoting positive youth outcomes.
Peer mentoring programs with moderate to high levels of adult oversight and supervision had larger effects.
This study is the first meta‐analytic assessment of the impact of cross‐age peer mentoring programs.
Although solitude is found to be undesirable to many, systematic practice of it can yield positive psychological outcomes. This mixed-method study explored the process and influence of solitude as a ...behavioral intervention among youths in a therapeutic community in Hong Kong. Qualitative interviews with 43 youths (67.4% male, mean age = 18.3) revealed that solitude facilitated growth in their sense of personal responsibility, increased perspective-taking, increased respect for rules, change in life attitudes, and growth in consideration of future consequences. A two-wave prospective study (n = 79, 82.3% male, mean age = 17.4) further demonstrated perceived meaningfulness in solitude predicted an increase in consideration of future consequences, but not in other types of behavioral intervention. This study preliminarily demonstrated solitude has beneficial outcomes among high-risk youths, and meaning-making can facilitate this relationship.
•Mentoring relationships can serve as a platform to address youth challenges.•Activities engaged in by mentors and mentees may influence relationship outcomes.•A balanced approach to activities shows ...potential promise for relationship outcomes.
This study investigated associations between mentor-mentee activities and relationship outcomes of school-based mentoring. Multigroup three-step latent profile analysis (LPA) assessed whether youth could be classified into distinct profiles based on their mentoring relationship activities, and whether these profiles were similar when taking into account youth academic success. Furthermore, regression analyses examined whether activity profile membership of mentored youth predicted youth relationship process outcomes. Participants (N = 1110) were drawn from a national, randomized longitudinal study of youth in Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Programs. Multigroup LPA results indicated a two-profile model, labeled Balanced and Instructional based on varying engagement in mentoring activities. Descriptive analyses revealed no differences in youth, mentor, and program characteristics across groups. Controlling for these characteristics, mentees in the Balanced profile demonstrated more relational benefits than youth in the Instructional profile. Research and practice implications are discussed.
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