College Women Mentoring Adolescent Girls: The Relationship between Mentor Peer Support and Mentee Outcomes

Abstract

In this study, we examined the effectiveness of peer support for college women mentors who engaged in one-to-one and group mentoring with at-risk adolescent girls. Using data from 162 mentoring pairs, results suggested that mentor support positively predicted mentees' self-reported improvement after a year of mentoring. An examination of mentees' selfesteem outcomes revealed that mentor peer support was associated with higher outcomes only for those mentees who had higher pre-program scores; for those with below average pre-scores, mentor support was associated with lower self-esteem. Taken together, these results indicate that mentor support may serve as an important function beyond ongoing training, though its effectiveness may vary based on mentee characteristics. Implications are discussed.

Mentors' Perceived Program Support Scale: Development and Initial Validation

“…The authors concluded that mentors may have contacted staff only when their relationships were struggling (DuBois & Neville, ), though this was not yet evidenced. A more recent finding showed that mentors’ perception of support from their mentor peers may actually have negative effects for mentees who begin the program with low self‐esteem (Marshalla, Lawrencea, & Peugha, ). Taken together, these results may indicate that mentor support is not always effective, but it may also indicate that findings on the effectiveness of mentor support depend on the way in which it is measured.…”