Companionship therapy: A replication in experimental community psychology.

Abstract

Disadvantaged children were assigned to a college student (21 male and 22 female dyads) or to a control group in a replication of Goodman's study of companionship therapy. The student's therapeutic talent was assessed by the Group Assessment of Interpersonal Traits (GAIT). Companioned children improved significantly more than controls on three parent-rated problem measures, and there was a trend for greater improvement of self-concept. Teachers perceived little change in either group. Most GAIT variables were not predictively valid, but empathy predicted relationship quality. The pattern of Goodman's findings for dyad types was repeated in the parent data: Quiet or outgoing children with an outgoing student improved most, and children in a double-quiet dyad improved least. There were relatively few sex differences.Despite the disappointing outcome of the monumental Cambridge-Sommerville study in the 1940s (Powers & Witmer, 1951), there have since been innumerable programs in which young adult volunteers are paired with troubled or potentially troubled children in the hope that the relationship will benefit the child. Among the rationales for this expectation are the potential of the volunteer as an identification figure, the modeling and reinforcement of a sense of competency, and the belief that an empathic relationship is in itself therapeutic. There has been remarkably little controlled evaluation of outcome, undoubtedly because of the difficulty of field research and perhaps also out of fear of again damaging the mystique of Big Brother and Big Sister.The most substantial evaluation was done in the mid-1960s by Goodman (1972). Fifth-grade boys judged to be mildly or moderately troubled were assigned to a 9-month compan-

Effectiveness of Mentoring Programs for Youth: A Meta‐Analytic Review

“…The information needed to calculate this type of effect size was available for nine independent samples, each of which appeared in a different study. The relationship factors assessed in these reports included longevity (Royse, 1998), frequency and amount of contact (Howitt, Moore, & Gaulier, 1998), and whether or not a mentor was actually received within the context of the multicomponent Career Beginnings program (Cave & Quint, 1990); in the remaining studies, broader indices or categories of relationship quality were derived from sources that included mentor visit reports (Dicken, Bryson, & Kass, 1977), nominations from teachers (Huisman, 1992) or program staff (LoSciuto, Rajala, Townsend, & Taylor, 1996), and youth ratings of their experiences with mentors (Johnson, 1997;Slicker & Palmer, 1993;Stanwyck & Anson, 1989). Effect sizes were calculated for all relevant comparisons and coded such that positive values indicated more favorable outcomes for youth experiencing greater intensity or quality of mentoring.…”

Mentoring Interventions to Affect Juvenile Delinquency and Associated Problems: A Systematic Review

“…c Dickson, Bryce, & Kass (1977) reported separate analysis for males and females. Without sufficient information to combine these effects, we report them as separate outcomes for the meta‐analysis.…”

Toward more behavioral early intervention programs: A rationale.

“…Cowen and his associates, for example, described data showing that their relationship therapy produced no improvements whatsoever relative to controls In a 1973 study (Cowen et al, 1975, p. 222) and that amount of contact with paraprofessional helpers did not differentially predict treatment outcome (Lorion &'Cowen, 1976;Lorion, Cowen, & Kraus, 1974). Similarly, several other evaluations of relationship-based programs revealed marked irregularities in effectiveness (e.g., Dicken, Bryson, & Kass, 1977;Goodman, 1972;Kellam, Branch, Agrawal, & Ensminger, 1975;Sandier, Duricko, & Grande, 1975).…”