title: Inverse association of natural mentoring relationship with distress mental health in children orphaned by AIDS.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The magnitude of the AIDS-orphaned children crisis in sub-Saharan Africa has so overstretched the resource of most families that the collapse of fostering in the sub-region seems imminent (UNICEF, 2003), fueling the need for a complementary/alternative care. This paper examines the probability of the natural mentoring care to ameliorate distress mental health in children orphaned by AIDS.
  
  
  METHODS
  952 children, mean age about 14 years, from local community schools and child-care centers in Kampala (Uganda) and Mafikeng/Klerksdorp (South Africa) towns participated in the study. The design has AIDS-orphaned group (n = 373) and two control groups: Other-causes orphaned (n = 287) and non-orphaned (n = 290) children. We use measures of child abuse, depression, social discrimination, anxiety, parental/foster care, self-esteem, and social support to estimate mental health. Natural mentoring care is measured with the Ragins and McFarlin (1990) Mentor Role Instrument as adapted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AIDS-orphaned children having a natural mentor showed significant decreased distress mental health factors. Similar evidence was not observed in the control groups. Also being in a natural mentoring relationship inversely related to distress mental health factors in the AIDS-orphaned group, in particular. AIDS-orphaned children who scored high mentoring relationship showed significant lowest distress mental health factors that did those who scored moderate and low mentoring relationship.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Natural mentoring care seems more beneficial to ameliorate distress mental health in AIDS-orphaned children (many of whom are double-orphans, having no biological parents) than in children in the control groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Care Science, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan. fnonuoha@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Francis N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Onuoha
authors.forename: Tsunetsugu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Munakata
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054540:Child, Orphaned / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008611:Mentors / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents; D012752:Shame; D012944:Social Support; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology