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Cited by 413Mentoring and Academic DevelopmentYouth Development and Social SupportPsychosocial Factors Impacting Youth

Agents of change: Pathways through which mentoring relationships influence adolescents’ academic adjustment

Rhodes, Jean E, Grossman, Jean B, Resch, Nancy L·2000·Child Development
DOI 10.1111/1467-8624.00256
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Abstract

A conceptual model was tested in which the effects of mentoring relationships on adolescents' academic outcomes were hypothesized to be mediated partially through improvements in parental relationships. The parameters of the model were compared with those of an alternative, in which improved parental relationships were treated as an outcome variable rather than a mediator. The study included 959 young adolescents (M age = 12.25 years), all of whom applied to Big Brothers Big Sisters programs. The adolescents were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group and administered questions at baseline and 18 months later. The hypothesized model provided a significantly better explanation of the data than the alternative. In addition to improvements in parental relationships, mentoring led to reductions in unexcused absences and improvements in perceived scholastic competence. Direct effects of mentoring on global self-worth, school value, and grades were not detected but were instead mediated through improved parental relationships and scholastic competence. Implications of the findings for theory and research are discussed.

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Crossref · 10.1111/1467-8624.00256

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54 of 54 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • In a longitudinal study conducted in BBBS America, the parent-child relationship partially mediated the relationship between the quality of the mentoring relationship and mentees' substance use, global self-worth, school value and attendance, and grades.

    “In a longitudinal study conducted in BBBS America [135], the parent-child relationship partially mediated the relationship between the quality of the mentoring relationship and mentees’ substance use, global self-worth, school value and attendance, and grades.”

    From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [135]

  • Mentor relationships are thought to have the capacity to facilitate improvements in parent-child interactions by helping adolescents cope with everyday stressors, providing a model for effective conflict resolution, and indirectly reducing parental stress.

    “By helping adolescents cope with everyday stressors, providing a model for effective conflict resolution, and indirectly reducing parental stress, mentor relationships are thought to have the capacity to facilitate improvements in parent-child interactions (Flaxman, Ascher, & Harringon, 1988;Rhodes, Grossman, & Resch, 2000;Rhodes, Haight, & Briggs, 1999).”

    From The Test of Time: Predictors and Effects of Duration in Youth Mentoring Relationships (2002) · cites this paper as Rhodes, Grossman, & Resch, 2000

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Authors
Rhodes, J. E., Grossman, J. B., & Resch, N. L.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
Rhodes, Jean E
ORCID
Rhodes, Jean E
Venue
Child Development
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2000-11-01
Volume
71
Issue
6
Pages
1662-1671
ISSN
  • 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-8624
DOI
10.1111/1467-8624.00256
OpenAlex
W2112445141
Cited by
413
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 31
FWCI
15.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Child Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
William T. Grant Foundation
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mentoring and Academic Development
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Youth Development and Social Support
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Psychosocial Factors Impacting Youth
Keywords
mentoring, parental relationships, mediation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, unexcused absences, global self-worth, student grades, early adolescents
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Educational Status, Female, Humans, Male, Mentors, Object Attachment, Parent-Child Relations, Peer Group, Personality Inventory, Social Adjustment, Treatment Outcome

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