Mentoring and depressive symptoms of youth: Examining prospective and interactive associations with mentoring relationship quality

Abstract

A significant body of research has demonstrated that mentoring relationships support positive youth development. The quality of the mentoring relationship has been identified as a predictor of positive youth outcomes. However, limited research has examined how engagement in a mentoring program may be related to youth depressive symptoms specifically. The current study utilized a sample of 2003 youth participating in mentoring programs across the country (Mage = 12.32, SD = 1.42, 55.1% female) from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (39.1% Black, 23.6% White, 22.1% Hispanic, 3.3% Native American or Alaskan Native, .4% Asian or Pacific Islander, 1.8% other, and 9.7% Multi‐Ethnic) to investigate associations between youth depressive symptoms and mentoring relationship quality. Results revealed that: (1) mean depressive symptoms decreased after participation in a mentoring program; (2) several, but not all, relationship quality indicators predicted change in depressive symptoms; (3) baseline levels of depressive symptoms negatively predicted indicators of relationship quality; and (4) associations between several relationship quality indicators and follow‐up depressive symptoms differed by baseline levels of depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the potential benefits of mentoring programs to youth and the need to provide mentors with support around building relationships with youth, especially those experiencing depressive symptoms.

Striving for safety, impact, and equity: A critical consideration of AJCP publications on formal youth mentoring programs

“…Notably, there was a significant interaction between these two factors, such that the strongest outcomes were found in matches characterized by strong youth‐rated relationship quality and mentor‐reported use of instrumental activities. In a combined sample of several mentoring programs across the United States, Browne et al (2022) recently found that youths' positive ratings of mentor supportiveness were associated with greater reductions in depressive symptoms over the course of the program, although mentor‐reported relational closeness was not associated with symptom change.…”

“…Using a large archival database with 6468 youth mentoring relationships across 170 distinct programs in the United States, Kupersmidt and colleagues (2017) identified a range of youth characteristics associated with premature termination, including anxiety and depressive symptoms, academic difficulties, teenage pregnancy, substance use, anger management problems, and ADHD diagnosis. In a recent contribution, Browne et al (2022) found that youth's level of depression at baseline predicted poorer youth‐reported (but not mentor‐reported) relationship quality, in a sample that included 23 school‐ or community‐ based programs across the United States. On the other hand, Weiler et al (2019) did not find the severity of youth's behavioral, academic, or mental health problems to be significantly associated with relationship outcomes.…”

“…Some findings, such as poorer match outcomes for youth presenting with more acute psychiatric concerns or trauma histories, have led some authors to question whether certain youth would be better served in higher levels of care (e.g., Browne et al, 2022; Grossman & Rhodes, 2002; Kupersmidt et al, 2017). Although few would argue that mentoring should fully supplant professional services, several specialized programs, which combine mentoring with skills‐based curricula and supervision by licensed professionals, have shown promising results in serving youth with more complex psychosocial profiles (Schwartz et al, 2013; Taussig et al, 2019).…”