Formal mentoring programs and youth: Examining relationship qualities that promote positive youth development
March 2008

Carmen Poirier and Dr. Kyle Matsuba
University of Northern British Columbia

Purpose of the research: This study examined how match characteristics and mentors' and mentees' ratings of relationship quality and perceived similarity were related to positive youth outcomes, in terms of academic engagement, self esteem, optimism and health behaviour. 

Results:
Match characteristics:

• We predicted that mentees who had been meeting longer and more frequently with their mentors would show more positve outcomes
• Average match length: 12.46 months
• Average meeting time: once per week for 2.50 hours
• Match characteristics were not significantly correlated with positive youth outcomes

Relationship quality ratings:

• We predicted that mentees who rated their relationship with their mentor as being of a high quality would show more positive outcomes.
• Scores on measures of companionship, intimacy, nurturance and reliable alliance significantly predicted mentees' academic engagement. Satisfaction and admiration moderarely predicted mentees' health behaviour.

Matched Ratings:

• We predicted that when paired mentors and menteers reported similar scores on relationship quality variables, the mentees would experience more positive outcomes.
• Similar scores on measures of reliable alliance significantly produced mentees self-esteem and optimism.  Similar scores on measures of aid moderately predicted mentees' self esteem.

Discussion:  Our results supported the idea that mentoring relationships are beneficial to youth.  Mentees who related their relationships as being of a high quality fared better in terms of academic engagement and health behaviour.  Mentees who held similar beliefs as their mentor about their relationship has higher levels of self-esteem and optimism.  We expected to see that mentees who met with mentors more often demonstrated more positive youth outcomes, nit we did not see that in our results.  In spite of that insignificant finding, this study added to the existing literature by suggesting that certain relationship qualities were more relevant to mentoring relationships than others, and that matches rating, no matter the actual score, were important to mentees’ outcomes.