title: The effects of a mentoring program on at-risk youth.
abstract: This study examined an intensive mentoring program that focuses on youth deemed at-risk for juvenile delinquency or mental illness. Mothers and teachers completed the Child Behavior Checklist, and youth completed the Hopelessness Scale for Children, the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale, and the Self-Report Delinquency Scale. The youth (ages 10 to 17) either participated in the mentoring program (intervention, n = 34) or remained on the waiting list (nonintervention, n = 34) for 6 months. Repeated-measures ANOVAs assessed changes from preintervention to postintervention and indicated significant improvement in problematic behaviors for the intervention group. Mentoring appeared to affect African American youth differently than Caucasian and Latino youth. There were no significant interactions involving gender. The findings of this study supported the positive influence of mentoring on at-risk youth.
authors.affiliation: The Menninger Clinic, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Keating
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tomishima
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alessandri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008611:Mentors; D011594:Psychometrics; D012649:Self Concept; D044465:White People