Abstract
BackgroundMentoring is a key predictor of empowerment and prospectively a game changer in the quest to improve health inequities. This systematic review reports on the state of evidence on mentoring for Indigenous Australians by identifying the quantity, nature, quality and characteristics of mentoring publications.MethodsThirteen databases were searched using specific search strings from 1983 - 2012. Grey literature was also canvassed. The resultant publications were mined to identify their outputs, nature, and quality. These were then conceptually mined for their characteristics to develop a model of mentoring that included the initiating environments, facilitating environments, operational strategies and outcomes.Results771 citations were identified; 37 full text publications met inclusion criteria and were assessed. Fifteen were eligible for review. Four of five original research publications used strong qualitative research designs. No publications were found before 1999; the largest proportion concentrated in 2011 (n = 4). Facilitating environments included: mapping participants’ socio-cultural and economic context; formal mentoring practices with internal flexibility; voluntary participation; integrated models with wrap-around services; mentor/staff competencies; and sustained funding. Mentoring strategies comprised: holistic scaffolding approaches; respectful, trusting, one-on-one mentoring relationships; knowledgeable mentors; regular contact; longer-term relationships and exit strategies; culturally-tailored programs; personal and social development opportunities; and specialised skills and learning opportunities. Outcomes varied in accordance to program aims and included improvements in aspects of education and employment, offending behaviours, relationships, and personal, social and professional development.ConclusionLittle research explored the effectiveness of mentoring, captured its impact qualitatively or quantitatively, developed appropriate measures or assessed its cost-effectiveness. There is a real need to evaluate programs particularly in terms of outcomes and, given there were no economic evaluations, costs. Commitments to improving Indigenous Australian mentoring rely on changes to funding structures and attitudes toward research. There was insufficient evidence to confidently prescribe a best practice model. Sufficient frequency of qualitative reporting between publications concluded that mentoring is a valuable empowerment strategy in the areas of health and wellbeing, education and employment and as a remedial and preventative measure in reducing offending behaviours. An evidence-informed mentoring model would take into account the key findings of the review.
Highlights
Mentoring is a key predictor of empowerment and prospectively a game changer in the quest to improve health inequities
Following Sanson-Fisher et al [10], in this article, we systematically investigated the state of the evidence of mentoring literature for Indigenous Australians with the aim of: 1) ascertaining the quantity, nature and quality of relevant published documentation across time; and 2) providing some grounding for improving the evidence-base of mentoring for Indigenous Australians by identifying the nurturing grounds for the formation of mentoring relationships and the subsequent outcomes
Nature and quality The findings show that literature around Indigenous Australian mentoring has an emergent lifespan of 14 years
Summary
Mentoring is a key predictor of empowerment and prospectively a game changer in the quest to improve health inequities. Viewed as a social determinant itself, empowermenta and its associated strategies have become progressively evident in public health as a means of tackling the issue and equalising increasing health disparities [1]. Empowerment has application to broader populations and issues in public health, but evidence of its potential to improve a range of social determinants, health status and diverse health outcomes for socially-excluded populations is increasing globally [1,2]. Implemented, mentoring assists people to build personal resilience and life competences relative to needs through strengthening support networks [4,5,6] It involves “the commitment of time and specific efforts by a more experienced person to the development of a mutually beneficial, supportive and nurturing relationship with a less experienced person” [7]. Despite the escalating literature base on mentoring in Western contexts over recent decades [8], growth in mentoring for diverse populations is a much newer area of study, and is not nearly as abundant
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