The Importance of Mentoring Programs for Foster Youth

By Amy L. Huang, MSW

It is important for foster youth to have mentors as a lack of a caring and supportive adult in their lives could lead to several risk factors. First, there is strong evidence that parents can greatly influence their children’s career aspirations and level of educational attainment (Spera et al., 2009). Foster youth may struggle with having adequate role models because they may live in multiple homes with different caregivers who may not necessarily be positive role models (Ahrens et al., 2008).

Furthermore, without a caring adult in their life, foster youth may resort to spending time with delinquent peers who may encourage substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, and school disengagement (Black et al., 2010; Wood & Wilson, 2006).

Spending time with a mentor could also prevent youth from becoming bored and engaging in delinquent behaviors with their peers (Brooks, 2006). According to Black et al. (2010), pro-social bonds that come with relationships from mentoring are essential for preventing delinquency.

Research suggests that mentoring itself affects foster youth’s lives positively in a holistic way (DuBois et al., 2011; Osterling & Hines, 2006; Rhodes et al., 2006). There are three main ways in which foster youth benefit from mentoring: (a) foster youth develop socio-emotionally, (b) foster youth develop their academic and career skills, and (c) foster youth are more likely to participate in pro-social behaviors.

Research suggests that foster youth can make strides in socio-emotional development as a result of mentoring (Ahrens et al., 2011). Although foster youth with a history of abuse or neglect are likely to terminate the mentoring relationship early, mentors who are able to win their trust and retain the mentoring relationship are able to help some foster youth build their social skills (Ahrens et al., 2011). Osterling and Hines (2006) observed that mentors can provide foster youth with the basis of a supportive and trusting relationship.

In turn, Yeh et al. (2007) noted that mentors can model socially valued behaviors. Phillip (2008) also indicated that the youth involved in mentoring programs would be able to learn social skills and generalize these skills to create other supportive relationships in their lives. Wood and Mayo-Wilson (2012) observed that mentoring improves social competence in youth, allowing them to increase their social capital.

Another way in which mentoring is beneficial is that it may help foster youth remain in school and achieve their career goals (Powers et al., 2012). In particular, foster youth who have had mentoring relationships that lasted one year or longer were likely to experience the largest number of improvements in cognitive, psychosocial, and behavioral outcomes (Powers et al., 2012). Grossman and Rhodes (2002) conducted a study that consisted of 1,138 at-risk youth in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Seventy-one percent of the youth in the study were African American while 18 percent were Hispanic, and the remaining 11 percent were from other ethnic groups. Youth who were mentored for more than 12 months reported significant increases in scholastic competence and valued school more highly compared to youth whose relationships were terminated after a shorter period of time. Black et al. (2010) suggested that mentors can serve as role models enabling youth to value school. When mentors see that youth have modeled their pro-social attitudes, mentors may provide youth with positive reinforcement, which may encourage youth to pursue their studies further (Black et al., 2010).

Indeed, mentoring programs provide improvements in adolescents’ developmental outcomes including improvements in pro-social behavior (Grossman & Rhodes, 2002). For example, Dappen and Isernhagen (2005) observed that youth who were mentored were more likely to remain engaged in school, were less likely to become pregnant, and were less likely to be involved in gangs. Mentored youth compared to non-mentored youth were more likely to have better school attendance, better grades, greater levels of self-confidence, and greater ability to disclose feelings (Dappen & Isernhagen, 2005).

Barron-McKeagney et al. (2001) conducted pre- and post-test comparisons between 11 non-mentored and 20 mentored Latino students who were from at-risk populations. The results of participants’ and their mothers’ ratings showed that mentored youth’s social skills and behaviors improved significantly after 18 months compared to non-mentored youth’s social skills and behaviors (Barron-McKeagney et al., 2001). Barron-McKeagney et al. argued that positive social skills and behaviors among the mentored youth help prevent failing in school, joining a gang, or partaking in violent acts.

Amy L. Huang is a practicing MSW who earned her degree at California State University Long Beach. She currently works as a social skills coordinator at CIP Long Beach.

References
Ahrens, K., DuBois, D., Richardson, L., Fan., M., & Lozano, P. (2008). Youth in foster
care with mentors during adolescence have improved adult outcomes. Pediatrics, 121, 246-252.

Barron-McKeagney, T., Woody, J., & D’Souza, H. (2001). Mentoring at-risk Latino children and their parents: Impact on social skills and problem behaviors. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 18(2), 119-136.

Black, D., Grenard, J., Sussman, S., & Rohrbach, L. (2010). The influence of school-based natural mentoring relationships on school attachment and subsequent adolescent risk behaviors. Health Education Research, 25(2), 892-902.

Dappen, L., & Isernhagen, J. (2005). Developing a student mentoring program: Building connections for at-risk students. Presenting School Failure, 49 No. 2, 21-25.

DuBois, D., Portillo, N., Rhodes, J., Silverthorn, N., & Valentine, J. (2011). How effective are mentoring programs for youth? A systematic assessment of the evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12 No. 2, 57-91.

Grossman, J., & Rhodes, J. (2002). The test of time: Predictors and effects of duration in youth mentoring relationships. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30(2), 199-219.

Osterling, K., & Hines, A. (2006). Mentoring adolescent foster youth: Promoting resilience during developmental transitions. Child and Family Social Work, 11, 242-253.

Philip, K. (2008). Youth mentoring — a case for treatment? Youth and Policy, 99, 17-31.

Powers, L., Geenen, S., Powers, J., Pommier-Satya, S., Turner, A., Dalton,. L. Swank, (2012). My life: Effects of a longitudinal randomized study of self-determination enhancement on the transition outcomes of youth in foster care and special education. Children and Youth Services Review, 34, 2179-2187.

Rhodes, J. & Dubois, D. (2006). Understanding and facilitating the youth mentoring movement. Social Policy Report, 20, 3-19. Retrieved November 2, 2013 from www.srcd.org//sites/default/files/documents/20-3_youth_mentoring.pdf.

Spera, C., Wentzel, K., & Matto, H. (2009). Parental aspirations for their children’s educational attainment: Relations to ethnicity, parental education, children’s academic performance and parental perceptions of school climate. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(8), 1140-1152.

Wood, S., & Mayo-Wilson, E. (2012). School-based mentoring for adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Research on Social Work Practice, 22, No 3, 257-269.

Yeh, C., Ching, A., Okubo, Y., & Luthar, S. (2007). Development of a mentoring program for Chinese immigrant adolescents’ cultural adjustment. Adolescence, 42(168), 733-747.