Mentoring Relationships for Youth: Investigation of a Process-Oriented Model

We investigated a process-oriented model of mentoring using data on 50 relationships in a Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. Data were collected on a monthly basis from both mentors and youth over a one-year period; relationship benefits for youth were assessed at the end of the year by each type of informant. The degree to which relationships were continued throughout the one-year period also was assessed. Path analyses using both youth and mentor report data revealed relations among study variables consistent with the proposed model. Mentors' ratings of their efficacy, obtained prior to the start of relationships, predicted greater amounts of mentor/youth contact as well as more positive experiences in relationships (e.g., fewer obstacles). Feelings of closeness between mentors and youth, in turn, were a final common component in model pathways that linked mentor/youth contact and most other measures to greater perceived benefits and relationship continuation. Implications for the design and evaluation of mentoring programs for youth are discussed.[author]