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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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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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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by a William T. Grant Foundation Scholar Award (#6722) to the first author. We also gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Lauren Ruvo in assisting with conducting this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Boston University, 264 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Renée Spencer, Alison L. Drew & Jill Walsh

  2. University of Massachusetts, Boston, Boston, MA, USA

    Stella S. Kanchewa

Authors
  1. Renée Spencer
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  2. Alison L. Drew
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  3. Jill Walsh
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  4. Stella S. Kanchewa
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Correspondence to Renée Spencer.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual adult participants included in the study and parent/guardian consent and informed assent was obtained for all youth participants.

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Spencer, R., Drew, A.L., Walsh, J. et al. Girls (and Boys) Just Want to Have Fun: A Mixed-Methods Examination of the Role of Gender in Youth Mentoring Relationship Duration and Quality. J Primary Prevent 39, 17–35 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-017-0494-3

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