Attachment Tendencies, Big 5 Personality Traits, and Self‐Efficacy as Predictors of Mentors’ Relationships with Aggressive Children

Abstract

Youth mentoring is theorized as a relationship-based intervention in which a strong mentor-mentee bond functions as a mediator of positive outcomes. Given evidence for the importance of a positive relationship, the current study investigated whether differences in mentors' self-reported attachment tendencies (avoidance and ambivalence), Big Five personality traits, and self-efficacy predicted match quality after one academic semester. We also tested whether mentors' experience of conflict in the relationship moderated the relation between these characteristics and match quality. Participants were college student mentors (N=190) paired with elementary school children identified via teacher and peer reports as highly aggressive. Separate regression analyses indicated that avoidance, openness, and self-efficacy significantly predicted mentor-rated (but not child-rated) match quality in expected directions. Moderator analyses revealed a mixed pattern of results: at low levels of conflict, ambivalence was a negative predictor of match quality, whereas extraversion and agreeableness were positive predictors. At high levels of conflict, openness and conscientiousness were positive predictors of match quality, whereas agreeableness was a negative predictor. The findings suggest it is important for mentoring programs to consider mentor characteristics when screening, training, and matching mentors, particularly in relationships with children identified as aggressive.