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01-02-2018 | Original Paper

Girls (and Boys) Just Want to Have Fun: A Mixed-Methods Examination of the Role of Gender in Youth Mentoring Relationship Duration and Quality

Authors: Renée Spencer, Alison L. Drew, Jill Walsh, Stella S. Kanchewa

Published in: Journal of Prevention | Issue 1/2018

Abstract

This prospective, mixed-methods study examined the role of gender in youth mentoring relationship duration and quality. Participants were 67 gender-matched pairs of adult mentors and youth participating in community-based mentoring programs as well as the youths’ guardians. Mentors and youth completed surveys and qualitative interviews at multiple time points. At baseline, male youth reported stronger relationships with their guardians. Analysis of the survey data from the 3-month follow-up revealed that male mentors and youth reported stronger mentoring relationship quality. Male matches were more likely to last at least 1 year. Further, male youth whose matches lasted at least 1 year reported better relationships with their guardians at baseline and reported stronger mentoring relationships after 3 months, compared to both females whose matches lasted greater than a year, and females whose matches lasted less than 1 year. Examinations of the qualitative interviews from a sub-sample of matched pairs (n = 29) showed that male and female youth and male mentors held similar expectations for the relationship, mainly to engage in fun activities, while female mentors were more often looking for a close relationship to develop quickly, which resulted in a disconnect between female mentees’ and female mentors’ expectations. Findings highlight the importance of developmentally appropriate relationships for youth and suggest that mentoring programs may be able facilitate longer, more effective matches for girls by tempering female mentors’ expectations for how close and quickly those relationships will develop.

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Title: Girls (and Boys) Just Want to Have Fun: A Mixed-Methods Examination of the Role of Gender in Youth Mentoring Relationship Duration and Quality
Authors: Renée Spencer
Alison L. Drew
Jill Walsh
Stella S. Kanchewa
Publication date: 01-02-2018
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Prevention / Issue 1/2018
Print ISSN: 2731-5533
Electronic ISSN: 2731-5541
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-017-0494-3

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Girls (and Boys) Just Want to Have Fun: A Mixed-Methods Examination of the Role of Gender in Youth Mentoring Relationship Duration and Quality

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Acknowledgment of Reviewers of Volume 38