Abstract
In this meta‐analytic review, we examined the relation between natural mentoring and youth outcomes in four domains: academic and vocational functioning, social‐emotional development, physical health, and psychosocial problems. Natural mentoring relationships are thought to foster positive youth development and buffer against the risks associated with the tumultuous years of adolescence. Two separate meta‐analyses were conducted on the presence of a natural mentor and the quality of the natural mentoring relationship, including thirty studies from 1992 to present. The findings indicated that the presence of a natural mentor was significantly associated with positive youth outcomes (r = .106). A larger effect size was found for the quality of the natural mentoring relationship in terms of relatedness, social support, and autonomy support (r = .208). The largest effect sizes were found for social‐emotional development and academic and vocational functioning. Risk‐status (e.g., teenage mothers, homeless youth, youth in foster care, and youth of alcoholic parents) did not moderate the relation between presence and quality of natural mentoring relationships and youth outcomes, which may indicate that natural mentors are generally beneficial for all youth regardless of risk‐status. Implications for theory and practice concerning the quality of the natural mentoring relationship are discussed.
Highlights
In addition to parents, caring adults can play a vital role in the educational, behavioral, and emotional development of children and adolescents (Bowers, Johnson, Warren, Tirrell, & Lerner, 2015; Kesselring, De Winter, Van Yperen, & Lecluijze, 2016)
On presence and relationship quality, risk-status did not moderate youth outcomes. In this meta-analytic review, we examined the relation between natural mentoring and youth outcomes in four domains: academic and vocational functioning, socialemotional development, physical health, and psychosocial problems
The current meta-analytic study examined the relation between the presence of a natural mentor, quality of the natural mentoring relationship and positive youth outcomes in four domains: academic and vocational functioning, social-emotional development, physical health, and psychosocial problems
Summary
In addition to parents, caring adults can play a vital role in the educational, behavioral, and emotional development of children and adolescents (Bowers, Johnson, Warren, Tirrell, & Lerner, 2015; Kesselring, De Winter, Van Yperen, & Lecluijze, 2016). Connections between youth and caring non-parent adults can develop into natural mentoring relationships that foster positive youth development and buffer against the risks associated with the tumultuous years of adolescence (Bowers et al, 2015). Despite their ubiquity and the considerable progress in research on natural mentoring relationships, meta-analytic. Meta-analyses only found small overall positive effects of formal mentors on the psychological, emotional, behavioral, and educational functioning of participating youth (DuBois, Portillo, Rhodes, Silverthorn, & Valentine, 2011; Jolliffe & Farrington, 2007; Tolan et al, 2013; Wheeler, DuBois, & Keller, 2010). Two separate meta-analyses were conducted, first on the presence of a natural mentor and subsequently on the quality of the natural mentoring relationship, to examine associations between mentoring and academic and vocational functioning, social-emotional development, physical health, and psychosocial problems
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