Attachment security, the quality of the mentoring relationship and protégés' adjustment.

Abstract

Associations among protégés' attachment orientations, the quality of their mentoring relationships, and mentoring outcomes were explored within the context of an Israeli national community-based mentoring program (Perach) comprising 167 protégés (47 % females, mean age 9.6). Contrary to expectations, we did not find a correlation between protégés' level of attachment security and the quality of their mentoring relationship. However, the findings indicated associations between a positive mentoring relationship and protégés' adjustment at the end of mentoring. Moreover, protégés' attachment security moderated the associations between the quality of their mentoring relationships and their adjustment at the end of mentoring. Among secure protégés, a positive mentoring relationship was more positively associated with general self-concept than among insecure protégés. Although insecure protégés' positive mentoring relationships were negatively associated with loneliness at the end of mentoring, these relationships were positively associated among insecure individuals. The theoretical and practical implications for mentoring interventions are discussed.