Mentoring Support and Relational Uncertainty in the Advisor–Advisee Relationship

Abstract

We examine the extent to which career mentoring and psychosocial mentoring received from their advisors relates to advisee perceptions of advisor–advisee relational uncertainty. Doctoral students (N = 378) completed the Academic Mentoring Behaviors Scale (Schrodt, Cawyer, & Sanders, 2003), the Mentoring and Communication Support Scale (Hill, Bahniuk, Dobos, & Rouner, 1989), and the Relational Uncertainty Scale (Knobloch & Solomon, 1999). The results of a series of Pearson correlational analyses indicate that advisees' reports of received career mentoring and psychosocial mentoring from their advisors are negatively related to their advisor–advisee relational uncertainty. These findings emphasize further the importance of advisors' provision of mentoring support for their advisees.