A scoping review of voluntary male mentoring

Themes to connect adult men

Bibliographic Data

ID14947936
AuthorsMark Henderson (0000-0003-2952-0942, Faculty of Health Southern Cross University Coffs Harbour New South Wales Australia, corresponding author), Mark Hughes (0000-0002-1158-5214, Faculty of Health Southern Cross University Coffs Harbour New South Wales Australia), Jenna Hurley (0000-0001-9205-2331, Faculty of Health Southern Cross University Coffs Harbour New South Wales Australia), John Hurley, Gregory Smith (0009-0003-9551-9680, Faculty of Health Southern Cross University Coffs Harbour New South Wales Australia), Gregory P Smith (0000-0001-7340-1241, Southern Cross University)
Year2022
Volume30
Issue6
Pagese3300-e3308
Publication date2022-11-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth & Social Care in the Community (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0966-0410 • E-ISSN: 1365-2524
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/hsc.13906
PMID35848395
OpenAlexW4285726507
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited68

In contemporary western cultures, such as Australia, there is increasing reported social disconnection. This disconnection is associated with loneliness and for some suicide, particularly for men. Voluntary male mentoring organisations aim to socially connect and improve men's wellbeing through facilitating men's one-to-one relationships. As is the case with most people, men value someone with whom they may communicate openly and safely, as occurs in voluntary mentoring. However, there is limited research on voluntary male mentoring or the experiences of the participants. This scoping review of the literature from voluntary adult male mentoring thematically synthesises the reported narratives from mentors. A systematic search was undertaken of five academic databases on voluntary adult male mentoring for scholarly articles in English. Additionally, the returned articles had their references reviewed for relevant authoritative reports and publications. After duplicates were removed, there were 471 publications. Sources included publications from humanities, social science, psychology and the health sciences. Once screened for eligibility this number was reduced to 29 publications. A thematic synthesis of the literature found the concepts of intentional relationship, journey and mutual growth were present. The implications of these findings are that men in community settings, informed by the experience of voluntary mentors, may be prepared to engage with other men. Additional research on the lived experience of mentors may offer further insights into facilitating male connection

Disconnection · Loneliness · Management · Medical education · Narrative · Political science · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Turnover · Career Development and Diversity · Medicine · Mentoring and Academic Development · Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access