Abstract
Formal mentoring programs have historically tended to match youth with same-sex mentors; more recently, mentoring programs designed specifically for girls have begun cropping up in response to theories on gender and adolescent girls’ psychological health and development, which suggest girls have particular psychosocial needs and ways of relating. Yet, there have been few empirical studies that explicitly examine the relational processes in adolescent girls’ relationships with female mentors from the perspectives of the participants themselves. In the present study, qualitative interviews conducted with 12 female youth–adult pairs of participants (N = 24) in a one-to-one community-based mentoring program were analyzed thematically using a holistic-content approach. Examining these participants’ narratives about their experiences in the program, three interrelated relational processes were identified: (a) engaged and authentic emotional support; (b) the development of new skills and confidence through collaborations; and, (c) experiences of companionship that provided relief from daily stresses. Editors’ Strategic Implications: The focus on female dyads and relationships will richly inform further studies of the process of mentoring and provide insights for practitioners of a variety of gender-specific prevention programs.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by funds given by the Adolescent & Youth Dissertation Award Program for research at the Henry A. Murray Research Center of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and the Robert S. and Grace W. Stone Primary Prevention Initiatives: Empowering Children for Life, Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College. The writing of this manuscript was supported in part by a W. T. Grant Foundation Scholar Award to the first author. Special thanks to the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston for their generous participation and to Gina Lazar and Stacey Schamber for their assistance with this research.
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Spencer, R., Liang, B. “She Gives Me a Break from the World”: Formal Youth Mentoring Relationships Between Adolescent Girls and Adult Women. J Primary Prevent 30, 109–130 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-009-0172-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-009-0172-1