Striving for safety, impact, and equity: A critical consideration of AJCP publications on formal youth mentoring programs.

In this virtual special issue (VSI) we curate and reflect upon 22 articles on formal youth mentoring previously published in the American Journal of Community Psychology (AJCP). First, we provide historical context and highlight AJCP's 2002 special issue on mentoring, which played an important role in establishing youth mentoring as a vibrant area of research. Next, we review and discuss findings from subsequent AJCP studies in three interrelated lines of inquiry: (1) the importance of facilitating high-quality mentoring relationships; (2) associations among youth's presenting needs, relationship quality, and outcomes; and (3) program practices leading to stronger, more impactful relationships. Throughout, we highlight and expand upon critical commentary from AJCP contributors, calling on the field to move away from paternalistic models that overly localize risk with youth and families without interrogating structural oppression. Our recommendations include: (1) centering critical consciousness, racial equity, and social justice in program curricula and mentor trainings; (2) respectfully engaging grassroots programs developed for and by communities of color that are underrepresented in research; (3) making meaningful efforts to recruit mentors from marginalized communities and removing barriers to their participation; and (4) examining youth's racial, ethnic, and other areas of identity development processes during mentoring.

An example of implementing a safety protocol in remote intervention and survey research with college students.

INTRODUCTION: This article draws attention to the need for open evaluation and reporting on safety protocols in survey and intervention research. We describe a protocol for responding to those who indicate increased risk of self-harm (i.e. suicidality or potentially lethal alcohol use) as an example and report on the outcome of our procedures. METHODS: Participants were first-year college students (n = 891) participating in an intervention trial for binge drinking. We describe the protocol, provide descriptive outcomes, and examine whether participant sex, attrition, or study intervention condition were related to endorsing items that indicated risk for suicidality or potentially lethal alcohol use. RESULTS: Of the 891 participants, 167 (18.7%) were identified as being at risk in one or more study wave. Of those, we were able to successfully contact 100 (59.9%), 76 (45.5%) by phone, and 24 (14.4%) by email. Of those 100, 78 accepted mental health resources as a result of outreach. Participant sex, attrition, and intervention condition were not related to risk. DISCUSSION: This article may aid other research teams in developing similar protocols. Strategies to reach an even greater proportion of high-risk participants are needed. A body of literature documenting published safety protocols in research and the associated outcomes would help to identify opportunities for improvement.

Engagement in a Preventive Intervention for Preadolescent Children in Foster Care: Considerations for Intervention Design.

Engagement in mental health-focused preventive interventions is understudied. Demographic, child, and system-level predictors of engagement were explored in a study with children in foster care (N = 222, Mage = 10.3) who participated in a 30-week intervention. Attendance and engagement in mentor visits and skills groups were rated weekly. Only 4 of 21 predictors showed bivariate associations with attendance/engagement: child sex, IQ, behavior problems, and trauma symptoms. SEM models with these three variables and a measure of adverse childhood experience (ACEs), were used to develop a model of engagement. Males had poorer mentor visit and group engagement. Group attendance was positively associated with trauma symptoms and negatively associated with ACEs. Group engagement was associated with higher IQ and fewer behavior problems. A contextually-sensitive intervention can result in high engagement for a vulnerable and diverse population, yet a few child factors still impacted engagement, and when identified could be ameliorated.Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifiers: NCT00809315 & NCT00810056.

The Comparative Roles of Mentor Self-Efficacy and Empathy in Fostering Relationship Quality with Youth.

Youth mentors' efficacy beliefs and relational skills should both influence the quality of their connections with their mentees, but a lack of research based on large, dyadic and longitudinal samples limits understanding of how mentor characteristics impact relationship quality. This study used three staged and process-focused structural equation models to (1) investigate the mutually reinforcing effects of mentor self-efficacy and empathy over time; (2) compare the longitudinal effects of mid-program mentor efficacy and empathy on end of program mentor and mentee perceptions of relationship quality; and (3) test a similar comparative model using cross-sectional end of program assessments to account for developmental changes in these variables over time. The sample consisted of 664 college-age mentor (76.5% female; [Formula: see text] age = 24.5, range = 21-53; 23.5% non-White) and youth mentee (41% female; [Formula: see text] age = 14.1, range = 10-19; 41.9% non-White) dyads. Mentor empathy predicted mentor perceptions of relationship quality at both time points and mentee perceptions at the end of the program. Mentor efficacy only predicted mentor reported relationship quality at the end of the program. The findings emphasize the importance of investing in empathy training for mentors to support both partners' positive evaluation of the relationship. Program support to increase mentor self-efficacy should also have added value for mentors.

Family relationships and the interpersonal theory of suicide in a clinically suicidal sample of adolescents.

In a sample of suicidal adolescents (N = 117), we sought to identify how adolescents' attachment to their parents related to a key mechanism of suicide from the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS). We tested both attachment-anxiety and attachment-avoidance, to both mother- and father-figures as correlates of the IPTS construct, perceived burdensomeness (PB). In addition, we tested PB as a mediator between these attachment variables and adolescent suicide ideation in a path analysis. Our path analysis indicated both mother- and father-related attachment anxiety were associated with PB and PB was related to suicide ideation. We also found an indirect effect of father-related attachment anxiety on suicide ideation. This study provides empirical support for earlier systemic work that proposes how family relationships may influence an adolescent's suicidal ideation. Finally, we provide practical clinical suggestions for how therapists may implement a systemic framework to address a suicidal adolescent and their family relationships.

Mentoring Children in Foster Care: Examining Relationship Histories as Moderators of Intervention Impact on Children's Mental Health and Trauma Symptoms.

Mentoring-based interventions show promise among children in foster care, but previous research suggests that some benefit more than others. Because children in foster care experience relationship disruptions that could affect mentoring effectiveness, we examined whether children's relational histories at baseline (i.e., relationship quality with birth parents, relationship quality with foster parents, caregiver instability, and previous mentoring experience) moderated the impact of a mentoring intervention on children's mental health, trauma symptoms, and quality of life. Participants included 426 racially and ethnically diverse children (age: 9-11; 52% male) who participated in a randomized controlled trial of the Fostering Healthy Futures program (FHF), a 9-month one-to-one mentoring and skills group intervention. Results showed that relationship quality with foster parents and prior mentoring experience did not moderate intervention impact. Relationship quality with birth parents and caregiver instability pre-program, however, moderated the effect on some outcomes. The impact on quality of life was stronger for children with weaker birth parent relationships and fewer caregiver changes. Likewise, the impact on trauma symptoms was stronger for those with fewer caregiver changes. Overall, FHF seems to positively impact children with varied relational histories, yet some may derive more benefits - particularly those with fewer caregiver changes pre-program.

Correction to: Does Organizing Mentor-Mentee Matches into Small Groups Enhance Treatment Effects in a Site-Based Mentoring Program for Adolescents? Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Does Organizing Mentor-Mentee Matches into Small Groups Enhance Treatment Effects in a Site-Based Mentoring Program for Adolescents? Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Formal youth mentoring is an effective intervention strategy for healthy development during adolescence. Modest and varied effects across programs, however, demonstrate a need to identify factors that can reliably improve outcomes for mentored youth. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to test the relative impact of embedding mentee-mentor matches in small groups on youth outcomes and to examine whether this effect was mediated by the quality of the program setting and mentoring relationship quality. Participants included 676 adolescents (Mage = 14.21, range = 11-18; 41.6% female) enrolled in Campus Connections, a site-based youth mentoring program. Most measured outcomes in both conditions (i.e., mentoring groups and a control condition in which pairs were not embedded in a group) were significantly better at post-intervention as compared to pre-intervention. The hypothesis that mentoring groups would have stronger impact, however, was not supported. The results imply that organizing mentor-mentee matches in small groups offer no advantage or disadvantage and that youth may be able to garner benefit from both structures.

Testing Basic Assumptions of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 in a Sample of Clinically Depressed and Suicidal Youth.

OBJECTIVE: Suicide is a leading cause of death in adolescence. The mechanisms of adolescent suicidality, however, are not fully understood. Although the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide, as assessed by the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ), may be a promising framework, systematic study of its utility during adolescence is lacking. METHOD: To this end, we utilized factor analyses and hierarchical regression analyses to test the factor structure, correlates, and predictive validity of the INQ in a sample of clinically depressed and suicidal adolescents (N = 120, aged 12-18). The sample was mostly female (81.9%), ethnically diverse (68.2% non-White) and with nearly a third identifying as a sexual minority (31.8%). RESULTS: Contrary to studies including adult samples in which a two-factor solution is identified, results within this sample indicated three factors: perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and perceived isolation. Perceived burdensomeness and the interaction between perceived burdensomeness and perceived isolation predicted suicide ideation above and beyond depression, but thwarted belongingness and perceived isolation did not. CONCLUSION: Perceived burdensomeness appears to play a role in adolescent suicidality and may be a point of intervention, yet the notable deviation from previous findings and the relative weakness of two of the factors warrant further study.

Mentor's Self-Efficacy Trajectories During a Mentoring Program for At-Risk Adolescents.

The concept of self-efficacy is dynamic and may change over time. Mentors of youth exposed to risk factors are likely to experience shifts in the degree to which they feel confident in their ability to form a positive mentoring bond with their mentee, potentially affecting the quality of the relationship. Based on previous literature, mentors' personality traits, their perceptions of positive mentee behaviors, and youth risk may influence changes in mentor self-efficacy over time. Our study includes 238 adolescents aged 11-18 years and their mentors who were recruited for a randomized controlled trial of a mentoring-based intervention for at-risk adolescents, known as Campus Connections. We used latent class growth analysis to identify mentor subgroups with different self-efficacy trajectories. Three subgroups emerged: mentors relatively high in self-efficacy throughout the mentoring relationship, the stable group; those high in self-efficacy at the beginning of the relationship and increasingly so, the increasing group; and those moderately high in self-efficacy and decreasingly so, the decreasing group. Greater mentor conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness were associated with greater likelihood of belonging to the increasing group relative to the decreasing group. Greater mentor emotionality was associated with greater likelihood of belonging to the decreasing relative to the increasing group. Mentors and mentees were also more likely to report having a positive mentoring alliance in the increasing relative to the decreasing group. We found that mentor personality traits play an important role in how mentors perceive their ability to serve as a mentor, which may have implications for mentor recruitment and training in programs designed for at-risk youth.

A Positive Youth Development Approach to Improving Mental Health Outcomes for Maltreated Children in Foster Care: Replication and Extension of an RCT of the Fostering Healthy Futures Program.

Preventing the negative impact of maltreatment on children's mental health requires interventions to be contextually sensitive, grounded in theory and research, and effective in reaching and retaining children and families. This study replicates and extends previous findings of the Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF) program, a 30-week mentoring and skills group intervention for preadolescent maltreated children in foster care. Participants included 426 children recently placed in out-of-home care who were randomized to intervention or control conditions. Outcomes measured 6-10 months postintervention included a multi-informant (child, caregiver, teacher) index of mental health problems as well as measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms, dissociative symptoms, quality of life, and use of mental health services and psychotropic medications. There were high rates of program initiation, retention, and engagement; 95% of those randomized to FHF started the program, 92% completed it, and over 85% of the mentoring visits and skills groups were attended. The FHF program demonstrated significant impact in reducing mental health symptomatology, especially trauma symptoms, and mental health service utilization. These program effects were consistent across almost all subgroups, suggesting that FHF confers benefit for diverse children. Results indicate that positive youth development programming is highly acceptable to children and families and that it can positively impact trauma and its sequelae.

Youth Risk and Mentoring Relationship Quality: The Moderating Effect of Program Experiences.

Because program experiences are more amendable than mentor or mentee characteristics, they may be important factors to consider in buffering the negative impact of youth risk on the quality of the mentor-mentee bond. Data from 455 mentees (ages 11-18; 57% male) and their undergraduate student mentors (82.3% female) from the Campus Connections mentoring program were used to assess whether youth risk and mentors' program experiences (i.e., program structure, supportive relationships with staff, opportunities for skill building, support for efficacy and mattering, and opportunities to belong) were associated with mentoring relationship quality and whether mentors' experience within the program moderated the association between youth risk and mentoring relationship quality. Results indicated that environmental, but not individual, risk was negatively associated with relationship quality. Mentors' experiences with the program were positively associated with mentoring relationship quality, and in many cases, above and beyond youth level of risk. Finally, mentors' perception of program structure, supportive relationships, and opportunities for skill building attenuated the negative relationship between environmental, but not individual, risk and relationship quality. Mentors' experiences of program support for efficacy and mattering and opportunities to belong were not significant moderators in any model. Implications for programs and future research directions are presented.

The Moderating Effect of Risk Exposure on an Efficacious Intervention for Maltreated Children.

The current study extends research on the impact of the Fostering Healthy Futures program (Taussig & Culhane, 2010), a 9-month mentoring and skills group preventive intervention for maltreated children, by examining whether the effect of Fostering Healthy Futures is moderated by children's baseline risk exposure (i.e., number of adverse childhood experiences). Participants included 156 racially and ethnically diverse children (ages 9-11, 50.7% female) recently placed in foster care due to maltreatment who were randomized to intervention or control conditions. Baseline and 6-month postintervention measures included a multi-informant index of mental health functioning and youth-reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress, dissociation, coping skills, social-acceptance, global self-worth, social support, and quality of life. A previously published, empirically derived risk index was used to assess level of exposure to 6 adverse childhood experiences (i.e., physical abuse, sexual abuse, removal from a single parent household, high level of exposure to community violence, and high numbers of caregiver and school transitions). Significant Intervention × Risk interactions were observed in regression models predicting 6-month postintervention symptoms of posttraumatic stress (ß = .38, p < .001) and dissociation (ß = .30, p < .01). Among children with low to moderate levels of risk, intervention participants evidenced fewer symptoms, whereas intervention participants with high levels of risk did not differ from the control group. The results of this study suggest that maltreated children exposed to high numbers of adverse childhood experiences may not experience the same reduction in trauma symptoms postintervention relative to children exposed to fewer adversities.

Mentor response to youth academic support-seeking behavior: Does attunement matter?

Mentoring-based interventions for adolescent offenders are promising strategies for reducing the likelihood of academic underachievement, truancy, and school dropout. Program effectiveness, however, varies widely. Investigation into factors that strengthen the impact of mentoring on academic-related outcomes is warranted. One factor might be academic attunement, or the degree to which a mentor's emphasis on academics is consistent with youth's academic support-seeking behavior and desire for academic help. This within-group study examined the relationship between mentor attunement and academic outcomes among youth (N=204; ages 11-18; 54.5% male) who participated in a time-limited mentoring program. Latent profile analysis identified three distinct groups: attuned mentors, over-focused mentors, and under-focused mentors. In general, youth with attuned mentors reported better post-intervention scores as compared to youth with misattuned (i.e., over-focused or under-focused) mentors on perception of school usefulness and importance, academic self-efficacy, and truancy, but not grade point average. Findings suggest the importance of monitoring academic attunement.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health-Risk Behaviors in Vulnerable Early Adolescents.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with health-risk behaviors in general samples of adults and adolescents. The current study examined the association between ACEs and these behaviors among a high-risk sample of early adolescents. Five hundred and fifteen 9-11-year-old children placed in foster care due to maltreatment were interviewed about their engagement in violence, substance use, and delinquency. A multi-informant ACEs score was derived based on exposure to six adverse experiences. Regression analyses examined the relationship between ACEs and risk behaviors and the potential moderating effects of age, sex, and minority status. ACE scores were predictive of risk behaviors after controlling for age, sex, and minority status. Although males and older youth were more likely to engage in risk behaviors, none of the demographic characteristics moderated the ACE-risk behavior association. This study extends previous research by demonstrating an association between ACEs and risk behaviors in extremely vulnerable early adolescents.

Mentoring Relationship Quality and Maltreated Children's Coping.

Coping strategies are believed to protect against the harmful effects of maltreatment on children's psychosocial outcomes. Caregivers are thought to be critical in helping children develop adaptive coping strategies, yet many maltreated children have poor and/or insecure relationships with their parents. A quality relationship with a caring, non-parental adult (e.g., a mentor), however, may be one strategy to promote healthy coping among maltreated children. Children (N = 154) in this study participated in a mentoring and skill-based program for maltreated preadolescents placed in foster care. Hierarchical regression was used to assess the association between children's reports of their relationship with their mentor at the end of the intervention and four coping strategies (i.e., Active, Support-seeking, Avoidance, and Distraction) 6 months following the intervention, while accounting for baseline coping strategies and other demographic factors. Above and beyond the covariates, better mentoring relationship quality was associated with children's greater use of Active and Distraction coping 6-month post-intervention. Mentoring relationship quality was not significantly associated with children's Avoidance or Support-seeking coping. The findings suggest that mentoring programs may be a fruitful approach to improving vulnerable children's coping skills. Healthy coping is hypothesized to protect against the harmful effects of maltreatment and to promote resilience in the face of multiple stressors (Banyard & Williams, ; Boxer & Sloan-Power, 2013; Cicchetti & Rogosch, 2009). It remains unclear, however, how best to promote positive coping among maltreated children, who are disproportionately exposed to numerous adverse childhood experiences (Raviv, Taussig, Culhane & Garrido, 2010). Theories of coping emphasize the importance of coping socialization through quality parent-child relationships (Kliewer et al., 2006; Skinner & Wellborn, ). Unfortunately, many maltreated children are exposed to poor quality and/or inadequate caregiving (Baer & Martinez, 2006), which may place them at risk for engaging in unhealthy or inappropriate forms of coping. It is reasonable to expect that positive relationships with other non-parental adults (e.g., mentors) would affect coping behaviors given the positive impact that quality relationships have on a myriad of emotional and behavioral child outcomes (DuBois, Portillo, Rhodes, Silverthorn & Valentine, 2011; Keller & Pryce, 2012; Thomson & Zand, ). Because children in foster care often transition in and out of schools and home environments, a quality relationship with a mentor (a consistent presence in the child's life) may be well suited to promote healthy coping strategies.

The Efficacy of Internal Family Systems Therapy in the Treatment of Depression Among Female College Students: A Pilot Study.

College women are vulnerable to depression due to developmental and transitional life changes. Early diagnosis and effective treatment is critically important. Empirical support exists for the effectiveness of select treatment options (i.e., antidepressant medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy [CBT], and interpersonal psychotherapy [IPT]), yet a significant percentage of those treated do not benefit. In this pilot study, Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy was tested as an alternative approach. College women (N = 37) were randomly allocated to IFS treatment or treatment as usual (CBT or IPT). Results demonstrated a decline in depressive symptoms for both conditions and no significant differences in the magnitude or rate of change. The results provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of IFS in the treatment of depressive symptoms.

Time-limited, structured youth mentoring and adolescent problem behaviors.

Youth mentoring can have a profound impact on the lives of high-risk youth. This study presents the Campus Corps program, a time-limited (12-week), structured mentoring program for high-risk youth (ages 11-18), and results from a quasi-experimental pilot evaluation. Baseline and post-intervention problem behavior data from 315 offending youth were used in multiple regression analyses. After accounting for baseline group differences, pre-intervention scores, and demographic covariates, Campus Corps participants (n=187, 63.1% male) reported less engagement in problem behavior, lower acceptance of problem behavior, and greater sense of autonomy from marijuana use post-intervention than participants in the comparison condition (n=128, 66.4% male). Conversely, post-intervention group differences were not observed for peer refusal skills or autonomy from alcohol use. A description of the Campus Corps program design and supplemental preliminary findings contribute to the growing knowledge base of youth mentoring program designs and outcomes.

Fostering Healthy Futures for Teens: Adaptation of an Evidence-Based Program.

OBJECTIVE: This article describes the process of adapting and implementing a complex, multicomponent intervention for a new population. Specifically, the article delineates the development and implementation of the Fostering Healthy Futures for Teens (FHF-T) program, which is an adaptation and extension of the Fostering Healthy Futures® (FHF) preventive intervention. FHF is a 9-month mentoring and skills group program for 9 to 11 year olds recently placed in foster care. Following the designation of FHF as an evidence-based intervention, there was increasing demand for the program. However, the narrow population for which FHF had demonstrated efficacy limited broader implementation of the existing intervention. FHF-T was designed to extend the reach of the program by adapting the FHF intervention for adolescents in the early years of high school who have a history of out-of-home care. Specifically, this adaptation recognizes key developmental differences between preadolescent and adolescent populations. METHOD: After designing a program model and adapting the program components, the FHF-T mentoring program was implemented with 42 youth over 2 program years. RESULTS: Of the teens who were offered the program, 75% chose to enroll, and 88% of those graduated 9 months later. Although the program evidenced high rates of uptake and participant satisfaction, some unexpected challenges were encountered that will need to be addressed in future iterations of the program. CONCLUSIONS: Too often program adaptations are made without careful consideration of important contextual issues, and too infrequently, these adapted programs are studied. Our process of program adaptation with rigorous measurement of program implementation provides a useful model for other evidence-based programs seeking thoughtful adaptation.