Girls (and boys) just want to have fun: A mixed-methods examination of the role of gender in youth mentoring relationship duration and quality
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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Other researchers have challenged the assumption that girls generally exhibit a more favorable response to mentoring, positing that both boys and girls have similar expectations.
“However, other researchers have challenged this assumption, positing that both boys and girls have similar expectations [154].”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [154]
Male mentees who reported better relationships with their parents or guardians at baseline participated in matches that lasted at least one year in BBBS America.
“Male mentees who reported better relationships with their parents or guardians at baseline participated in matches that lasted at least one year in BBBS America [154].”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [154]
Male mentors reported stronger mentoring relationship quality.
“In addition, male mentors reported stronger mentoring relationship quality [154].”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [154]
Early match terminations are less frequent for male than for female mentors in American programs.
“Early match terminations are less frequent for male than for female mentors in American programs [33,113,154].”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [154]
Qualitative interviews in BBBS America showed that female mentors were more likely to strive for a close relationship to develop quickly, whereas male mentors expected to engage mainly in fun activities.
“Qualitative interviews conducted in BBBS America showed that female mentors were more likely to strive for a close relationship to develop quickly, whereas male mentors expected to engage mainly in fun activities [154].”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [154]
Qualitative analyses in BBBS America and Croatia and in a short-term mentoring program in the UK show that both male and female young people and male mentors had similar expectations for the relationship, mainly to engage in fun activities.
“Qualitative analyses conducted in BBBS America and Croatia and in a short-term mentoring program in the UK show that both male and female young people and male mentors had similar expectations for the relationship, mainly to engage in fun activities [154].”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [154]
Interviews with adult male mentors and adolescent boys paired in BBBS America indicated that boys, similar to girls, valued emotional closeness in their mentoring relationships.
“Interviews with adult male mentors and adolescent boys paired in BBBS America indicated that boys, similar to girls, valued emotional closeness in their mentoring relationships [117,154].”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [154]
Girls in long-term relationships in BBBS America and in the short-term mentoring program were more satisfied with the relationship and rated it as more helpful than did boys, whereas another study in BBBS America found that boys whose matches lasted at least one year reported stronger mentoring relationships after three months than did girls whose matches lasted more than a year or less than a год
“Whereas girls in long-term relationships in BBBS America and in the short-term mentoring program were more satisfied with the relationship and rated it as more helpful than did boys [46,173], another study conducted on BBBS America found that boys, whose matches lasted at least one year, reported stronger mentoring relationships after three months than did girls whose matches lasted more than a”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [154]
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- Authors
- Spencer, R., Drew, A. L., Walsh, J., & Kanchewa, S. S.
- Affiliations
- Boston University (US)
- University of Massachusetts Boston (US)
- Corresponding author
- Spencer, Renée
- Venue
- The Journal of Primary Prevention
- Published
- 2017-11-16
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 17-35
- ISSN
- 0278-095X (ISSN-L)
- 1573-6547
- OpenAlex
- W2769819178
- Cited by
- 25
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2
- FWCI
- 3.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Primary Prevention (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- William T. Grant Foundation (6277)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mentoring and Academic Development
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Youth Development and Social Support
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Counseling Practices and Supervision
- Keywords
- youth mentoring, gender differences, mentoring relationship quality, parent-adolescent relationships, boys and girls
- MeSH terms
- Mentoring, Adolescent, Adult, Child, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Interviews as Topic, Male, Middle Aged, New England, Prospective Studies, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sex Factors, Qualitative Research, Young Adult
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