Attachment Tendencies, Big 5 Personality Traits, and Self‐Efficacy as Predictors of Mentors’ Relationships with Aggressive Children

Abstract

Highlights It is important for programs to identify those mentor characteristics that predict match quality. Attachment tendencies, personality traits, and self‐efficacy were examined in this study. These characteristics differentially predicted match quality for mentors of aggressive children. Openness and avoidant attachment positively and negatively predicted match quality, respectively.

Mentor personality and attachment as correlates of youth mentoring relationship quality within a school‐based mentoring intervention: The moderating role of negative interactions

“…We also did not find evidence to support hypothesis two-neither mentor Anxious nor Avoidant attachment was associated with mentoring relationship quality. Thus, we did not replicate the findings from Cavell et al (2020) that mentor Openness to Experience is associated with mentor perceptions of more positive relationship outcomes, and mentor Avoidant attachment style is associated with mentor perceptions of negative relationship outcomes.…”

“…In regard to mentor personality traits specifically, in a sample of college-age mentors working with aggressive, elementary school children, Faith et al (2011) found mentors who perceived their relationships as supportive experienced increases in the personality dimensions of Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion. In a more recent study, Cavell et al (2020) found evidence that mentors' scores on the Big Five dimension of Openness were positively associated with mentor perceptions of match quality while controlling for other personality dimensions and mentor attachment. Mentor personality was not associated with child-report of match quality in this study.…”

“…One study examined the effect of the mentoring relationship quality on mentor attachment style and found YOUNGINER AND ELLEDGE | 2571 that college-age mentors rated themselves as less avoidant after completing three semesters of mentoring if they perceived the mentoring relationship as supportive (Faith et al, 2011). In another study, Cavell et al (2020) found that mentors scoring higher on an avoidant attachment style were more likely to report lower mentor match quality, but this finding did not extend to child-reported match quality. Although past research highlights the importance of attending to the child's attachment style when considering mentoring interventions (Prasad-Gaur et al, 2001), particularly as mentoring is a relationship-based intervention, it seems important to understand whether mentor attachment style influences the quality of youth mentoring relationships (Thomson & Zand, 2010).…”

“…First, we speculate that the relative influence of mentor characteristics on youth mentoring relationships depends on the nature and goals of the mentoring intervention. Findings from Cavell et al (2020) support this supposition-Openness to Experience emerged as a positive predictor of match quality for youth participating in community-based mentoring while an avoidance attachment style was negatively associated with match quality for youth participating in the school-based mentoring intervention (Cavell et al, 2020). We YOUNGINER AND ELLEDGE | 2573 examine the question of whether mentor characteristics are associated with youth mentoring relationship quality in the context of a school-based lunchtime mentoring program for aggressive youth, a program focused on improving the peer relationships of youth who often experience problematic peer relations.…”

“…Second, existing theory would suggest that personality styles and attachment tendencies are activated in times of stress (Kobak, 1994;Mischel, 1998;Mischel & Shoda, 1995). There is some evidence for differential associations of mentor personality and attachment with match quality as a function of conflict in mentoring relationships (Cavell et al, 2020). However, it is currently unclear whether these findings extend to school-based mentoring relationships or apply largely to community-based mentoring interventions.…”