Mentoring programs hold great promise for fostering competency in disadvantaged youth. Although considerable theoretical work has been conducted to explain the role of mentoring relationships in promoting positive youth outcomes, very little empirical research has directly investigated this alliance. The present study developed and validated a tool to assess mentees’ perceptions of their relationships with their mentors and to investigate the relationship between this alliance and youth competency. Based on pilot data from four cross‐national mentoring programs (N=276), a 10‐item, two‐factor Mentor–Youth Alliance Scale (MYAS) was created. Subsequent confirmatory factor analyses conducted on national evaluation data from a multi‐site study of mentoring programs (N=219), generated a 10‐item, one‐factor solution. The one‐factor MYAS significantly predicted youths’ scores in four competency domains: Family Bonding, Relationships with Adults, School Bonding, and Life Skills, at 8‐months post‐intake. Higher competency youth were more likely to be female, younger on average, and have a higher quality of relationships with their mentors than were lower competency youth. Implications for the development of the mentor–protégé relationship are discussed.

Outcome studies of mentoring programs have demonstrated that they hold considerable promise in promoting competence across multiple developmental domains. A theoretical model of mentoring identified modification of youths’ perceptions of their interpersonal relationships as a contributor to positive outcomes. To date, however, there has not been a direct examination of the role of the mentor—youth bond in this process. The present study examines whether the quality of the mentoring relationship uniquely predicts other relationship-based outcomes at two time points. Regression analyses indicated that the quality of the mentor—youth bond significantly predicted youths’ scores in most relationship-based outcomes (i.e., friendship with and self-disclosure to adults) at 8 and 16 months. Study implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The purpose of this survey-design research study was to evaluate the usefulness of a researcher-developed tool designed to improve office-based health care services and to assess the barriers and resources affecting office-based health care services for children with autism spectrum disorder. Fifty-four health care providers (HCPs) and 59 parents participated in the study. HCPs reported child behaviors, communication, and fears as barriers to providing care, whereas parents reported child behavior, sensory issues, and feelings of a disconnect with the HCP as barriers. HCPs identified the parent as a key resource. Parent-identified resources included provider adaptations to the patient, including slowing down the delivery of care and environmental adaptations to the office. In addition, both HCPs and parents indicated that the researcher-developed tool would be useful in reducing barriers during the HCE. Reducing barriers and improving health care interactions during delivery of care for children with autism spectrum disorder has the potential to improve health outcomes.

When promoting parenting self-efficacy, both social support and family empowerment are important domains to consider for treatment planning and resource development among pregnant women with substance use disorders.