An Ecological Perspective of Mentor Satisfaction With Their Youth Mentoring Relationships

Bibliographic Data

ID11042365
AuthorsRachael L Suffrin (DePaul University, corresponding author), Nathan R Todd (0000-0003-3287-6827, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Bernadette Sánchez (0000-0001-5867-5340, DePaul University)
Year2016
Volume44
Issue5
Pages553-568
Publication date2016-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Community Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-4392 • E-ISSN: 1520-6629
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/jcop.21785
OpenAlexW2423663901
LanguageEN
Citations received22
References cited35

Research shows the benefits of mentoring in promoting positive youth development. Yet less is known about mentors and what predicts mentor satisfaction. Such knowledge is vital to understanding how to recruit and retain adult mentors for youth. Thus, in the current study, we examine mentors as embedded in a social ecology of relationships, such as relationships with their mentee, mentee's family, and mentoring organization they volunteer with. We use data from 247 mentors to test how each of these relationships (mentor with the mentee, mentee's family, and mentoring organization) independently and interactively predict mentor satisfaction. Findings indicate that all relationships are unique predictors of mentor satisfaction, and that relationships with the mentee's family and mentors’ mentoring organization interact in predicting mentor satisfaction. Overall, considering multiple relationships shows how various dimensions of the social ecology uniquely and interactively predict mentor satisfaction. Limitations and implications for mentoring practice are discussed

Biology · Perspective (graphical) · Social relationship · Test (biology) · Ecology · Mentoring and Academic Development · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports · Psychology · Social Psychology · Youth Development and Social Support