Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mentoring During Adolescence

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion

Introduction

Mentoring is a common strategy for promoting positive development and preventing problem behaviors among adolescents. Although most scholars agree that adolescence is not universally a time of storm and stress, few would dispute that adolescents encounter a myriad of changes, challenges, and opportunities as they grow and develop. Over the course of adolescence, many young people reshape their relationships with parents and peers, actively explore their current and future personal and professional identities, and often enter into serious romantic relationships.

The sheer number and simultaneous nature of these developments suggest that adolescence may be an especially important time for youth to have a mentor, whether that relationship is informal or through a formalized mentoring program (Darling, 2005). Available research, however, indicates that mentoring programs for adolescents must be carefully designed and implemented in order to meet this promise. We review...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 1,500.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 1,799.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allen, J. P. (2010). The attachment system in adolescence. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (Vol. 2, pp. 419–435). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aseltine, R. H., Dupre, M., & Lamlein, P. (2000). Mentoring as a drug prevention strategy: An evaluation of Across Ages. Adolescent and Family Health, 1, 11–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blinn-Pike, L. (2005). Pregnant and parenting adolescents. In D. L. DuBois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 467–481). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blinn-Pike, L. (2007). The benefits associated with youth mentoring relationships. In T. D. Allen & L. T. Eby (Eds.), The Blackwell handbook of mentoring: A multiple perspectives approach (pp. 165–187). New York: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Britner, P. A., Balcazar, F. E., Blechman, E. A., Blinn-Pike, L., & Larose, S. (2006). Mentoring special youth populations. Special issue: Youth mentoring–Bridging science with practice. Journal of Community Psychology, 34, 747–763.

    Google Scholar 

  • Britner, P. A., & Kraimer-Rickaby, L. (2005). Abused and neglected youth. In D. L. DuBois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 482–492). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Callahan, C. M., & Kyburg, R. M. (2005). Talented and gifted youth. In D. L. Dubois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 424–439). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darling, N. (2005). Mentoring adolescents. In D. L. DuBois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 177–190). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • DuBois, D. L., Holloway, B. E., Valentine, J. C., & Cooper, H. (2002). Effectiveness of mentoring programs for youth: A meta-analytic review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30, 157–192.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DuBois, D. L., & Karcher, M. L. (2005). Youth mentoring: Theory, research, and practice. In D. L. DuBois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 2–11). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • DuBois, D. L., Portillo, N., Rhodes, J. E., Silverthorn, N., & Valentine, J. C. (2011). How effective are mentoring programs for youth? A systematic assessment of the evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12, 57–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • DuBois, D. L., & Silverthorn, N. (2005). Natural mentoring relationships and adolescent adjustment: Evidence from a national study. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 26, 69–92.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, J. B., Chan, C. S., Schwartz, S. E. O., & Rhodes, J. E. (2011). The test of time in school-based mentoring: The role of relationship duration and re-matching on academic outcomes. American Journal of Community Psychology, 49, 43–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, J. B., & Rhodes, J. E. (2002). The test of time: Predictors and effects of duration in youth mentoring relationships. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30, 199–219.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, J. B., & Tierney, J. P. (1998). Does mentoring work? An impact study of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Evaluation Review, 22, 403–426.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, S. F., & Hamilton, M. A. (2004). Contexts for mentoring: Adolescent-adult relationships in workplaces and communities. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (2nd ed., pp. 395–428). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellenga, K., Rhodes, J. E., & Aber, M. S. (2002). African American adolescent mothers’ vocational aspiration-expectation gap: Individual, social, and environmental influences. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 200–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herrera, C., Grossman, J. B., Kauh, T. J., & McMaken, J. (2011). Mentoring in schools: An impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based mentoring. Child Development, 82, 346–361.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Herrera, C., Sipe, C. L., McClanahan, W. S., Arbreton, A. J. A., & Pepper, S. K. (2000). Mentoring school-age children: Relationship development in community-based and school-based programs. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirsch, B. J., & Wong, V. (2005). After-school programs. In D. L. DuBois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 364–375). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jekielek, S., Moore, K. A., & Hair, E. C. (2002). Mentoring programs and youth development: A synthesis. Washington, DC: Child Trends.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karcher, M. J. (2008). The Study of Mentoring in the Learning Environment (SMILE): A randomized evaluation of the effectiveness of school-based mentoring. Prevention Science, 9, 99–113.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karcher, M. J., Davis, C., & Powell, B. (2002). Developmental mentoring in the schools: Testing connectedness as a mediating variable in the promotion of academic achievement. The School Community Journal, 12, 36–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kogan, S. M., Brody, G. H., & Chen, Y.-f. (2011). Natural mentoring processes deter externalizing problems among rural African American emerging adults: A prospective analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology, 48, 272–283.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kuperminc, G. P., Thomason, J., DiMeo, M., & Broomfield-Massey, K. (2011). Cool Girls, Inc.: Promoting the positive development of urban preadolescent and early adolescent girls. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 32, 171–183.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larose, S., & Tarabulsy, G. M. (2005). Academically at-risk students. In D. L. DuBois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 440–453). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang, B., Spencer, R., Brogan, D., & Corral, M. (2008). Mentoring relationships from early adolescence through emerging adulthood: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 72, 168–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, C. A., Kearney, K., & Britner, P. A. (2010). Students’ self-concept and perceptions of mentoring relationships in a summer mentorship program for talented adolescents. Roeper Review, 32, 189–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • LoSciuto, L., Rajala, A. K., Townsend, T. N., & Taylor, A. S. (1996). An outcome evaluation of Across Ages: An intergenerational mentoring approach to drug prevention. Journal of Adolescent Research, 11, 116–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, H., & Griffiths, M. (2005). E-mentoring. In D. L. DuBois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 300–313). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parra, G. R., DuBois, D. L., Neville, H. A., Pugh-Lilly, A. O., & Povinelli, N. (2002). Mentoring relationships for youth: Investigation of a process-oriented model. Journal of Community Psychology, 30, 367–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, J. E. (2005). A model of youth mentoring. In D. L. DuBois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 30–43). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, J. E., & Lowe, S. R. (2009). Mentoring in adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Vol. 2. Contextual influences on adolescent development (pp. 152–190). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, J. E., Reddy, R., & Grossman, J. B. (2005). The protective influence of mentoring on adolescents’ substance use: Direct and indirect pathways. Applied Developmental Science, 9, 31–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sterrett, E. M., Jones, D. J., McKee, L. G., & Kincaid, C. (2011). Supportive non-parental adults and adolescent psychosocial functioning: Using social support as a theoretical framework. American Journal of Community Psychology, 48, 284–295.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tolan, P., Henry, D., Schoeny, M., & Bass, A. (2008). Mentoring interventions to affect juvenile delinquency and associated problems. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 2008, 16. doi:10.4073/csr.2008.16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitney, S. D., Hendricker, E. N., & Offutt, C. A. (2011). Moderating factors of natural mentoring relationships, problem behaviors, and emotional well-being. Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 19, 83–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, M. A., Bingenheimer, J. B., & Behrendt, D. E. (2005). Natural mentoring relationships. In D. L. DuBois & M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 143–158). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development & Family Studies, University of Connecticut, 348 Mansfield Road, U-1058, Storrs, CT, 06269-1058, USA

    Preston A. Britner & Sara K. Johnson

Authors
  1. Preston A. Britner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sara K. Johnson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Preston A. Britner .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, New London, CT, USA

    Thomas P. Gullotta

  2. University of Connecticut, West Hartford, USA

    Martin Bloom

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this entry

Cite this entry

Britner, P.A., Johnson, S.K. (2014). Mentoring During Adolescence. In: Gullotta, T.P., Bloom, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5999-6_173

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5999-6_173

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5998-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5999-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation