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The Effects of Mentoring Programs on Emotional Well-Being in Youth: A Meta-Analysis

The Effects of Mentoring Programs on Emotional Well-Being in Youth: A Meta-Analysis

Authors :
Claro, Anthony
Perelmiter, Taryn
Source :
Contemporary School Psychology. Dec 2022 26(4):545-557.
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

There are a variety of skills that are not directly taught in schools yet serve as protective factors for academic success (i.e., self-efficacy, social, skills; emotional well-being; Graziano et al (Journal of School Psychology 45 3-19 2007); Minnard (Children and Schools 24(4) 233-246 2002). An intervention strategy for promoting such protective factors in school-aged children involves mentoring. Despite the dramatic increase in the implementation of mentoring programs in the first decade of the current century (Herrera et al (Making a difference in schools 2007); Portwood & Ayers (Children and Schools 30 177-185 2005), there remain few systematic program evaluations and even fewer meta-analyses examining the effects of mentoring. Specifically, there is a paucity of research examining the potential benefits of mentoring on emotional well-being. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by providing an overall assessment of the relationship between mentoring and emotional functioning of mentees. A qualitative analysis, as well as a quantitative meta-analysis, examining the effects of mentoring programs on the emotional well-being of school-aged children is presented. Overall, findings provide evidence for a small to moderate positive effect of mentoring on the emotional well-being of youth. Additional analyses focusing on specific emotional constructs indicate that mentoring has a small negative effect (d = 0.20) on negative affect, a medium negative effect on internalizing behavior (d = 0.45), and a medium positive effect on self-esteem (d = 0.45). For children, success in school requires more than reading, writing, and arithmetic thus, mentoring may be one approach to developing the necessary protective factors that can lead to greater success.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2159-2020 and 2161-1505
Volume :
26
Issue :
4
Database :
ERIC
Journal :
Contemporary School Psychology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
EJ1353204
Document Type :
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research<br />Information Analyses
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-021-00377-2