NATURAL MENTORING IN THE LIVES OF SEXUAL MINORITY YOUTH

Abstract

This retrospective, mixed method study examined the natural mentoring experiences of a national sample of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Sexual minority youth were found to be less likely than heterosexual youth to have family members as mentors, but more likely to be mentored by school adults. A paradox was noted wherein sexual minority youth, while more likely to be mentored, miss out on the cumulative benefit of mentoring since they meet their mentors almost a year later than heterosexual youth. Findings also suggest that the prevailing same‐sex pairing of mentors and mentees in formal mentoring programs warrants re‐examination for sexual minority youth, as male sexual minority youth were found to be more likely to have female natural mentors than heterosexual male youth. Implications for mentoring programs with a particular focus on positive youth development for sexual minority youth were also discussed.