About a year after being paired with mentors, youth evaluated in a recent study, many of whom had multiple risk factors for delinquency, school failure, teen pregnancy and mental health problems, had fewer symptoms of depression.
The young people were part of the first large-scale evaluation to assess how mentoring affects “higher-risk” youth. Noted mentoring researchers, Carla Herrera, David DuBois, and Jean Grossman studied more than 1,300 youth enrolled in seven mentoring programs, including five Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies.
Youth with mentors, compared to those without mentors who faced similar challenges, improved in their social competence, academic attitudes and grades. The strongest findings were related to decreases in symptoms of depression—an especially noteworthy outcome given that nearly one in four youth in the study reported high levels of depressive symptoms before being matched with mentors.
“Depression has been linked to a host of short- and long-term problems for young people, including suicidal behavior, academic and social difficulties, and increased risk for substance abuse and teen pregnancy,” the researchers reported. “The study’s findings offer robust evidence that participation in volunteer-centered, one-to-one, community-based mentoring programs can ameliorate and/or prevent the emergence of depressive symptoms,” researchers added.
“When young people face multiple life challenges, their families and communities suffer as well,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters President and CEO, Dan Soliday. “While a number of studies have found that one-to-one mentoring helps ‘at-risk’ children, this new research provides important insights about the impact of our work on youth who face a range of issues, including those who face higher levels and severity of risk factors.”
The study revealed the importance of careful screening for mental health concerns at intake, in combination with referral mechanisms for those who are in need of additional support. Of note, the researchers found that while mentoring programs are successful at reaching youth with lower-risk profiles, they are also able to reach those who meet the “higher-risk” threshold, without significant efforts beyond their normal recruitment strategies.
The study found mentors who received early-match training and consistent phone support met more frequently and had longer-lasting relationships with their mentees. Youth whose mentors received in-person group training also reported higher-quality relationships. The researchers noted that offering tailored training and support to mentors, mentees and families based on the specific risks youth face has the potential to produce even stronger benefits.
For more information on Big Brothers Big Sisters, or how you can get involved in the program, call 888-KS4-BIGS or go to www.kansasbigs.org.