Natural Mentoring Research Articles

Intergenerational social mediation and youth empowerment in Marseille’s marginalised neighbourhoods

ABSTRACT The synergy between community and institutional networks of social mediation is crucial in empowering young people in vulnerable conditions, improving their quality of life, countering stigmatisation, and fostering innovative solutions to their daily challenges within their communities. While the impact of support networks is evident, the exact mechanisms that drive the emergence of these mediation strategies remain uncertain. We conduct ethnographic research, utilising narrative interviews, life stories, focus groups, and participant observation. Our focus is on the intergenerational dynamics that shape the emergence of youth social mediation strategies in LaFab, a highly marginalised neighbourhood situated in the third district of Marseille, France. What roles do natural mediators and multicultural competent social workers play in developing youth-led or youth-targeted social mediation strategies in marginalised neighbourhoods in contemporary cities? How do young people in vulnerable conditions utilise institutions, and how do institutions and social workers engage in community-informal mediations? We propose the hybrid model of social mediation, an analytical framework for studying historical marginalisation, community resilience through sport and culture, and the roles of natural mentors and multiculturally competent social workers. It offers new research perspectives for studying healthy communities and youth empowerment in the marginalised neighbourhoods of contemporary cities.

Natural mentoring for males of color transitioning to college

Natural mentoring relationships are characterized as organic, committed, and long-term connections with non-parental adult figures within schools and the community. The objective of this qualitative descriptive design study is to understand how males of color in a mentoring program articulate the support they received in their social-emotional, cognitive, and identity development through natural mentoring relationships during the transition from high school to college in Central Florida. Eleven male students of color took part in individual semi-structured and follow-up focus group interviews. Thematic analysis of the interview helped the author develop themes, forming the basis of the study’s outcomes. The findings underscore the significance of fostering the social, emotional, cognitive, and identity competencies of males of color through a natural mentoring approach. However, the study suggests the need for continued support for males of color after the transition to college, addressing challenges such as financial barriers and the absence of long-term support systems, which hinder their graduation. In response, the author proposes the Natural Mentoring Model for Males of Color (NMMMC) transitioning to college, derived from the distinctive experiences of male students of color who successfully transitioned to college with the support of natural mentoring relationships.

A mixed-methods exploration of autonomy-supportive parenting, confidence, and natural mentoring relationships among Black adolescents.

The current study examined whether autonomy-supportive parenting practices may be associated with Black adolescents' quantity of natural mentors (i.e., adults from youths' everyday lives who youth go to for support and guidance) via adolescents' confidence. This study employed survey data from 216 Black youth and qualitative interviews from a subsample of youth (n = 25), their primary caregivers (n = 25), and one nonparental adult relative with whom the youth reported feeling close (n = 25). Comparative analyses were then completed among a subset of 10 family triads corresponding to youth from the qualitative subsample who had the highest (n = 5) and the lowest (n = 5) scores on a survey measure of adolescents' confidence. Study findings suggest that Black adolescents' confidence may be an explanatory link in the association between autonomy-supportive parenting practices among primary caregivers and Black adolescents' quantity of natural mentoring relationships. Moreover, we found that a range of autonomy-supportive parenting practices may be associated with youth confidence, which may, in turn, inform how Black adolescents engage with adults in their social networks.

Increasing resilience among LGBTQ youth: The protective role of natural mentors

Based on the minority stress model, which emphasizes the unique risk stressors that impact LGBTQ youths’ lives, and the resilience perspective, which emphasizes the interaction between protective and promotive factors in youth and their surroundings, we investigated in this exploratory study the mechanism by which natural mentoring relationships contribute to LGBTQ youths’ hope. A web sampling of LGBTQ youth aged 12–25 (N = 198) was used, and participants answered a self-report questionnaire to assess their hope, mentor support, risk factors (i.e., internalized homophobia, anti-LGBTQ harassment, level of outness, gender identity and sexual orientation) and personal characteristics. Findings showed that the support of mentors, particularly mentors as autonomy promoters, contributed significantly to LGBTQ youths’ hope. Results also revealed that transgender youth had lower levels of hope than did LGBQ cisgender youth. The mediation analysis revealed that the support of mentors mediated the link between risk factors (e.g., antigay harassment, internalized homophobia) and higher levels of hope. The discussion suggests considering both risk and protective factors as an integral part of LGBTQ youth intervention programs in the contexts of their lives (e.g., school). Also discussed are the possible explanations for the contribution of natural mentoring and the mechanism involved in risk and protective factors. Implications for practice emphasize the importance of increasing LGBTQ youths’ hope via their social ties with mentors in their environments.

Promoting Positive Development Among Racially and Ethnically Marginalized Youth: Advancing a Novel Model of Natural Mentoring.

Racism and other forms of oppression threaten the well-being of racially and ethnically marginalized youth. Models of risk and resilience for marginalized youth have stressed the importance of addressing contextual and structural risk while emphasizing promotive factors such as cultural capital within their communities. Increasingly, research has focused on collective antiracist action as a form of coping with structural oppression. Importantly, supportive intergenerational relationships that develop within youths' everyday contexts may play a key role in catalyzing and reinforcing youths' engagement in antiracist action. This review advances a novel model for understanding how supportive nonparental adults from youths' everyday lives (i.e., natural mentors) influence youths' positive developmental outcomes and participation in antiracist action and how collective antiracist action, in turn, fosters liberation and racial justice. The creation of a more just and equitable society contributes to positive development among racially and ethnically marginalized youth.

What attachment scholars can learn from research on Black family resilience

AbstractWithin a sociohistorical context of racism‐related physical and emotional threats, Black families in the United States have developed sources of resilience to promote children's safety and positive development. Yet research on Black family resilience has rarely been integrated into one of the most influential theories of child development: attachment theory. In this article, we propose specific ways that attachment scholars can learn from research on Black family resilience to enrich models of parent–child relationships, focusing on three sources of resilience: culturally specific parental protections (e.g., “The Talk,” preparation for bias), extended caregiving networks (e.g., natural mentors, fictive kin, spiritual community), and racial‐ethnic identity development (e.g., racial pride messages to protect against social denigration). We argue that including insights from research on the resilience of Black children and families in the face of racism‐related threats across generations can substantially advance current understanding of caregiving, attachment, and positive child development in context.

“Those Bridges That Help You Get There”: How Natural Mentors Improve Social Support and Social Capital of Unaccompanied Immigrant Youths Leaving Residential Care

ABSTRACT The increasing arrival of unaccompanied immigrant youth to Europe has been challenging for established political and social interventions. A range of social and educational services have been developed to help young immigrants in their transition to adulthood and these programmes are often spaces where they can meet supportive adults. Twenty semi-structured interviews with unaccompanied immigrant youth residing in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area were carried out. This qualitative study explores the prevalence and role of natural mentors in their lives. Furthermore, we go deeper into the functions and dynamics developed through two relationships where young people shared in-depth explanations of their meaning for their lives. Our findings suggest that natural mentors provide various types of social support and social capital, which fulfil the emotional or educational needs of young people. Facilities and obstacles for building natural mentoring relationships are presented in order to provide social and political implications. We conclude that there is a need for providing services to reinforce or promote natural mentoring relationships for unaccompanied immigrant youth leaving residential care.

A Mixed Method Investigation of Associations Between Caregiver Attachment and Natural Mentoring Relationships Among Black Adolescents

An integral change that occurs during adolescence is the development of independent close relationships outside of the immediate family unit. In addition to relationships with peers, adolescents are commonly engaged in natural mentoring relationships. Natural mentoring relationships are organically formed mentoring bonds between youth and adults in their pre-existing social networks. In an effort to better uncover factors that contribute to the development of natural mentoring relationships among Black adolescents, the current study examined a pathway between adolescents’ attachment to their parents and the quantity of natural mentors they possessed via their perceptions of adults as helpful. Survey data from 217 Black adolescents and interview data from a subsample of participants ( n = 25) and their parents ( n = 25) were utilized. Our findings document how parent-adolescent attachment is experienced among Black families and how attachment may shape adolescents’ willingness to pursue supportive relationships with non-parental adults. In addition, our findings indicate that more secure parent-adolescent attachment predict greater quantity of natural mentoring relationships indirectly via greater perceptions of adults as helpful. Implications of study findings for the promotion of natural mentoring relationships among Black youth are discussed.

Why most youth comply with the social distancing measures: a qualitative study

Abstract Aim To examine what makes youth comply with COVID-19 social distancing measures. Subject and methods This qualitative interview study explored to what extent and why Dutch youth comply with social distancing measures during the first wave of COVID-19. All 35 participants were between 16 and 25 years old. Results Results showed that participants complied very well with social distancing measures, and that feeling solidarity with others and feeling responsible for others were most important for compliance. The participants experienced mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also mentioned positive outcomes, such as more time for hobbies. Lastly, having a natural mentor seems to be positively associated with compliance. Conclusion Most youth complied with the COVID-19 measures, but the participants also discussed the impact on their mental health of the COVID-19 pandemic. These results shed light on the reasons for compliance of youth, but also stress that the mental health of youth should be monitored when these measures are in place.

How informal mentoring by teachers, counselors, and coaches supports students' long-run academic success

We document a largely unrecognized pathway through which schools promote human capital development – by fostering informal mentoring relationships between students and their teachers, counselors, and coaches. Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of adolescents, we explore the nature and consequences of natural mentoring relationships by leveraging within-student variation in the timing of mentorship formation as well as differences in exposure among pairs of twins, best friends, and romantic partners. Results across difference-in-differences and pair fixed-effect specifications show consistent and meaningful positive effects on student attainment, with a conservative estimate of a 9.4 percentage point increase in college attendance. Effects are largest for students of lower socioeconomic status and robust to controls for individual characteristics and bounding exercises for selection on unobservables. Smaller class sizes and a school culture where students have a strong sense of belonging are important school-level predictors of having a K-12 natural mentor.

Natural mentoring among college students of color: Considerations for their ethnic-racial identity and psychological well-being.

This study examined: (a) the roles of ethnic-racial similarity between mentors and mentees and mentors' support for ethnic-racial identity (ERI) in mentees' ERI private regard, (b) the roles of ethnic-racial similarity and ERI support in mentees' psychological well-being, and (c) the indirect effects of ethnic-racial similarity and ERI support on psychological well-being via private regard. Participants were 231 college students of color who completed a survey and reported having a natural mentor. Path analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized model. More support for ERI was significantly associated with higher private regard and higher self-esteem. Higher ethnic-racial similarity was significantly related to higher psychological distress and higher self-esteem. An indirect effect was found between ERI support and ethnic-racial similarity and psychological well-being via private regard. The findings fill a gap in the literature on ethnic-racial processes in mentoring critical to the development of college students of color.

Assessing Longitudinal Impacts of Mentor Role on Youth Outcomes

Youth who report prosocial relationships with natural mentors show increased social and academic success and life satisfaction. However, little research investigates how mentors impact aspects of youth identity such as athleticism or religiosity. The present study applies a Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) analysis model to data from a national longitudinal study ( N = 15,701) to predict specific outcomes in educational, athletic, and religious domains. This analytic approach is uniquely well-suited for accurately drawing conclusions within highly collinear, high dimensional datasets. Analyses included demographic variables and childhood base rates of academic success, fitness, and religious beliefs as covariates. Findings indicate that the presence of an academic mentor during adolescence longitudinally predicts educational attainment, while athletic or religious mentors did not have significant impacts in terms of increasing athleticism or religiosity. These results suggest that academic mentors may have more longitudinal impacts on student success than other types of mentors.

"It's going to help me in life": Forms, sources, and functions of social support for youth in natural mentoring relationships.

Social support is associated with positive physical and psychological health outcomes for youth. We took a qualitative approach to examine the sources, forms, and functions of social support youth receive from natural mentoring relationships in their lives. Based on in-depth interviews with 40 adolescents participating in a study of youth-adult relationships and natural mentoring processes, we found that (1) different types of adults had the capacity to provide different types of support and were likely to provide overlapping supports; (2) emotional, informational, and instrumental support qualitatively differed depending on the adult's role (e.g., teacher), while companionship and validation were consistent across adults; and (3) youth were able to identify benefits attached to the social support received from adults. Our findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of aspects and characteristics of effective youth-adult mentoring processes and call for fuller assessments of social support in youths' lives so we may better meet their developmental needs.

Historically underrepresented college students and natural mentoring relationships: A systematic review

Historically underrepresented college students experience barriers during college. One source of support that may help students manage these challenges is natural mentors. However, research on historically underrepresented college students’ natural mentoring relationships is limited. The aim of this systematic review was to examine studies of historically underrepresented college students’ natural mentoring relationships during college and to provide recommendations for future research. The research questions that guided the review were (a) What are the characteristics of these relationships? (b) What factors are associated with these relationships during college? and (c) Are the outcomes associated with having these relationships moderated by type of mentor? Examined studies demonstrated that natural mentors offer a variety of support in various aspects of students’ lives. Relationships were linked to multiple benefits for this population, including psychological well-being, positive academic outcomes, improved self-concept, increased motivation, and development of interpersonal skills broadly. This review showed that there are still many gaps in the literature on the nuances of these relationships and the development of the relationships for historically underrepresented college students.

Initial perception of the mentoring role and related mentors' approach of autonomy support or control in formal youth mentoring relationships.

Mentors' initial perceptions of the mentoring role in formal youth mentoring bonds; and the subsequent characteristics of autonomy support or autonomy control in mentoring interactions developed by mentors after 5 months of mentoring experience are discussed in this paper. The data is drawn from a longitudinal phenomenological study conducted in the Czech mentoring scheme between 2010 and 2017. In-depth semi-structured interviews were collected with 10 mentoring matches over 1 year of mentoring involvement. The results of Interpretive phenomenological analysis showed differences in mentors' initial perceptions of the role, and related autonomy-supportive or autonomy-controlling characteristics in mentors' approach. The benefits and risks of resulting autonomy support or control in mentoring interactions are discussed. The results argue for the theoretical conceptualisation of a child-centred perspective in youth mentoring that aims at mentees' support of autonomy, active agency and empowement, thus arguing for further in-depth exploration of natural mentoring principles in child-centred perspective, supporting approaches such as youth-initiated mentoring, and broadening the discussion on good evidence-based mentoring practice in the EU context.

The Roles of Cultural Mistrust and Mentoring in Latinx Adolescents’ Attitudes Toward School

Using the frameworks of Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) and an integrative model of developmental competencies, this study examined the roles of cultural mistrust toward education and natural mentoring relationship quality in the academic outcomes of Latinx adolescents. Participants were 294 Latinx students (52.9% female; mean age 15 years in 9th grade; 21% first‐generation, 63% second‐generation, and 6% third‐generation immigrants) who completed surveys in 9th and 10th grades. The negative effect of cultural mistrust on educational aspirations was greater for students who had poorer quality mentoring relationships. This study addresses gaps in the literature related to cultural mistrust as a coping strategy and discusses the ways in which mentors can serve a protective role.

Strengthening supportive networks for care leavers: A scoping review of social support interventions in child welfare services

Care leavers often have a smaller network and receive less social support than other youth. This is problematic, as research highlights the importance of having a strong social network on which to rely when transitioning to adulthood. As such, the purpose of this scoping review was to identify studies describing interventions, programs, or methods used by child welfare services to strengthen or enhance supportive networks for care leavers. A literature search was conducted among five databases. The search was limited to articles published between 2010 and 2020 and written in English. To be as comprehensive and inclusive as possible, quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies were included. Twelve articles were included in the review. The interventions discussed in these twelve studies were divided by the authors into five categories: (1) natural mentoring, (2) formal mentoring, (3) formal mentoring and skills training, (4) network facilitation by intensive family finding, and (5) self-help groups. This scoping review suggests that few studies have been conducted on social support interventions for care leavers carried out by child welfare services. Moreover, the method of evaluation differs among the studies that do exist. The literature is thus too limited to suggest a promising practice, but there are some examples of hopeful interventions. As such, there seems to be a need for more research on social support interventions within a child welfare context.

The roles of ethnic identity and stressors in natural mentoring support among Latinx adolescents

This study explored whether Latinx adolescents’ ethnic identity and stressful experiences predicted characteristics of their naturally-occurring mentoring relationships with non-parental adults. Ninth-grade Latinx students completed surveys about ethnic identity, stress exposure, and their natural mentoring relationships during 9th and 10th grade. Youth who showed greater ethnic identity exploration in 9th grade perceived more support from mentors who were family members at follow-up. In addition, Latinx youth who experienced more stressors were less likely to identify familial mentors and to retain familial and Latinx mentors from baseline to follow-up. Youth who were exposed to more stressors also reported receiving significantly more support from their natural mentors at follow-up, but this association was only observed for non-Latinx mentors. Findings are some of the first to identify predictors of mentor retention and perceived mentoring relationship support among Latinx youth, and have implications for understanding intergenerational relationships that may promote resilience in this population.

“She is Always Doing the Work"

Marianismo is a term that refers to the prioritization of Latina mothers in regard to their children and families. In defining as such, this term acknowledges how selfless Latina mothers are. This study utilized an adapted version of Narrative Analysis to explore the insights of Latino adolescent mentees when it comes to their experiences living with a single mother. Specifically, the participants’ narratives included their highly positive relationships with their mothers who exhibit many admirable qualities, they spoke about their varying relationships with their biological fathers, and they also discussed helpful, supportive father figures (i.e., natural mentors) in their lives. The Discussion section relates the study’s findings to Attachment Theory and Social LeMarianismo refers to the prioritization of Latina mothers concerning their children and families. This term acknowledges the selflessness of Latina mothers. This study explored the perceptions of thirteen Latino adolescent participants following their experiences of being raised by a single mother. To study this relationship, an adapted version of Narrative Analysis was used. While the analysis focused on participants’ relationships with their mothers, relationships with their biological fathers and other father figures (i.e., natural mentors) in their lives were explored. The study’s findings are contextualized through the lens of attachment theory, social learning theory, and the relevant literature. This study shines light on the important impact of mothers and natural mentors on the lives of Latino male adolescents. Social workers from varying professional domains who are working with Latino families can take the marianismo cultural value into account in their own interactions and services with their clients. Additionally, just as the Latino adolescents in this study were keenly aware of their mothers’ many positive values, strengths, and contributions to their lives, it is vital for social workers to do the same. arning theory, as well as relevant literature. This study shines light on the great impacts that mothers and natural mentors can have on Latino male adolescents.

The Formation and Benefits of Natural Mentoring for African American Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents: A Qualitative Study

This study explored how mentoring begins and the benefits provided for African American sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) youth. Participants were mentors and mentees living in three Mid-Atlantic cities. Mentees (ages 15–21, n = 14) identified as African American; cisgender male, transgender female, or non-binary assigned male; and had sexual interest in men. Mentor participants (ages 18+, n = 13) mentored such youth. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with mentoring relationship partners (both partners did not necessarily participate). All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and imported into Atlas.ti. Using a basic interpretive qualitative analysis, a codebook was developed through inductive and deductive techniques. Analysis focused on mentees’ and mentors’ descriptions and interpretations about how they formed a mentoring relationship and any observed benefits that arose. Themes showed mentoring relationships were formed through introductions via social circles or social media. Mentoring was described as providing a trusted confidant and support with identity formation, relationships, transitioning to adulthood, and health. Results indicate a potential for natural mentoring relationships to provide trusted adult support to SGM adolescents in ways that are experienced as authentic and beneficial to the mental health of African American SGM male youth.