Functional Roles of Important Nonfamily Adults for Youth

Hamilton, Mary Agnes; Hamilton, Stephen F.; DuBois, David L.; Sellers, Deborah E.

doi:10.1002/jcop.21792

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…When acting as a conduit to opportunities and community resources, the mentor serves a bridging function that is characteristic of a weak tie in a social network (Burt, 1992; Granovetter, 1973). In line with this reasoning, one recent study of mentoring roles, as derived from the reports of older adolescent youth, highlighted functions similar to those that emerged in the present study, including that of supporter (which focused on perceptions of mentor caring and availability) and connector (which was conceptualized as bridging capital) (Hamilton, Hamilton, DuBois, & Sellers, 2016). The extent to which individual youth and their caregivers align in their perceptions of some the most valued aspects of a mentoring relationship could theoretically have implications for the quality and longevity of a youth’s program involvement, both of which have been implicated in stronger outcomes (Rhodes & DuBois, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“I really wanted her to have a Big Sister”: Caregiver perspectives on mentoring for early adolescent girls

Keller

Overton

Pryce

et al. 2018

Children and Youth Services Review

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Formal youth mentoring programs tend to focus on the mentor-mentee dyad as the primary relationship cultivated and supported. The interests and preferences of the parent or caregiver in the mentoring relationship may receive little attention. In this study, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with primary caregivers (N=20) of early adolescent girls participating in a Big Brothers Big Sisters community-based mentoring program to explore reasons why they wanted mentors for their daughters. Thematic analysis revealed that caregivers expected mentors to support their daughters as trusted companions, confidants, and conduits to opportunities and services. In addition, caregivers noted ways in which mentoring offered them respite and reinforced their parenting. The findings highlight the potential value of assessing caregiver perspectives and priorities so that program staff and mentors can partner more effectively with youth and families for successful mentoring experiences.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“I really wanted her to have a Big Sister”: Caregiver perspectives on mentoring for early adolescent girls

Keller

Overton

Pryce

et al. 2018

Children and Youth Services Review

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Consistent with the youth mentoring literature, adults in connected learning settings engaged in role modeling (Rhodes, ), connected youth to resources and opportunities (Hamilton, Hamilton, DuBois, & Sellers, ), provided various forms of social support (Sterrett et al., ), and cultivated youth voice (Ben‐Eliyahu et al., ). These behaviors empowered youth to open themselves up to adults and form close relationships with them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

How to support me in connected learning: Youth perspectives on adult supportive behavior and its benefits

Vaclavik

Sánchez

Buehler

et al. 2017

J. Community Psychol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examined the various ways adults engage and support youth in connected learning settings, which are focused on supporting youth in their interests or passions. Youth from 5 Chicago community-based, out-of-school time (OST) programs participated in focus groups on the topic of adult-youth relationships. Participants reported characteristics and behaviors of supportive adults as well as the outcomes associated with those behaviors. Analyses revealed that the following characteristics of adults enabled engagement and relationship development: (a) mutual respect, (b) genuine interest, (c) ongoing communication and friendship, and (d) going above and beyond. Youth also identified the specific ways that adults supported them: (a) guidance and motivation, (b) skill-based support, (c) role modeling, (d) connecting, (e) emotional support, and (f) cultivating youth voice. Finally, participants reported the following outcomes related to such support: (a) social capital, (b) a sense of empowerment and control of their futures, and (c) a sense of acceptance and validation. This study is a contribution to the literature on adult-youth relationships in connected learning sites and draws attention to the potential socioemotional and instructional benefits of such programs. Our study also highlights the various ways that adults in OST programs can successfully engage youth and form relationships.Most recently, researchers have become interested in youth sparks and interests because of their developmental benefits. Sparks are a "passion for a self-identified interest, skill or capacity that metaphorically lights a fire in the adolescent's life, providing energy, joy, purpose and direction" (Scales, Benson, & Roehlkepartain, 2011, p. 264). A national study of racially/ethnically diverse 15-year-olds found that participants in the high sparks group had better academic outcomes (i.e., more focused on learning, higher grades, more effort in school) than youth in the low sparks or no sparks J. Community Psychol. 2017;45:906-921. wileyonlineliberary.com/journal/jcop c 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 906 Recent mentoring studies have revealed that simply the presence of natural mentors is insufficient in promoting positive youth outcomes; high-quality, close relationships are necessary. For instance, in their sample of African American adolescents, Hurd and Sellers (2013) found that more connected (e.g., closer, more involved) mentoring relationships yielded greater academic engagement compared to not having mentoring relationships at all. Liao and Sanchez (2016) also found that urban, low-income Latinx adolescents with closer and more growth-oriented relationships (e.g., higher relational quality and instrumental quality) had better academic outcomes compared to those with less close and less growth-oriented relationships or those without mentors. Hence, the youth mentoring literature suggests the importance of focusing on the quality of youth-adult relationships. Similar to research on mentoring, investigations of OST and conne...

show abstract

“…These categories can also be used indicate the broad range of support that may come from one or more trusted adults, according to individual adolescent need, which may also vary with time. While the review did not differentiate between family and unrelated adult support, and how the qualities of the two might differ ‐ for example, in terms of affective or instrumental support, and potential consequence (Darling et al, 2002; Hamilton et al, 2016) ‐ this would be a theme worth pursuing in further studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our taxonomy, we explicitly consider the characteristics that a trusted adult might bring to the role, in order to inform guidelines around the individual traits that may be fostered or enhanced to best function in the role. We distinguish between social and functional roles to further differentiate between the formal (social) position the adult holds, and the function they fulfil for the young person (Darling, Hamilton, Toyokawa, & Matsuda, 2002; Hamilton, Hamilton, DuBois, & Sellers, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a taxonomy to characterise trusted adult support in the lives of adolescents

Pringle

McAteer

Whitehead

et al. 2019

Journal of Adolescence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionA systematic review of trusted adult interventions for adolescents revealed that there was no common terminology, agreed explicit definition, or detail, regarding the personal qualities, functions and roles fulfilled by trusted adults that was used consistently across the papers. To provide clarity, we therefore aimed to produce a taxonomy of trusted adult input, using evidence drawn from our review.MethodsData from the review findings were used to compile the taxonomy, moving from the general to the more specific, in a four stage process. This involved: (1) compilation of elements described in individual papers, (2) grouping of elements derived from stage 1 into categories, (3) examination of context and nature of the relationship, (4) development of a categorisation of trusted adult input.FindingsThe resulting taxonomy encapsulates core essential qualities provided by people acting in trusted adult or mentoring roles, and gives details relating to what a young person might expect from individuals they put their trust in. The taxonomy consists of six categories relating to: delivery context, roles of trusted adults, nature of support, personal qualities, actions/functions, and impact.ConclusionsThe taxonomy describes key elements that define the trusted adult role, and has the potential to inform the development of policies and guidelines relating to support provision. It may be used as a framework for the reporting of trusted adult interventions within research, and act as a helpful guide if a young person is in doubt about the behaviour or qualities displayed by an adult in their environment.

show abstract

Functional Roles of Important Nonfamily Adults for Youth

Cited by 8 publications

References 23 publications

“I really wanted her to have a Big Sister”: Caregiver perspectives on mentoring for early adolescent girls

“I really wanted her to have a Big Sister”: Caregiver perspectives on mentoring for early adolescent girls

How to support me in connected learning: Youth perspectives on adult supportive behavior and its benefits

Developing a taxonomy to characterise trusted adult support in the lives of adolescents

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About