Oct. 22, 2021
Efren Gomez and Molly Latham
Abstract: On average, the effects of youth mentoring programs have shown positive outcomes for at-risk youths. Positive outcomes include decreased symptoms of depression or anxiety (DeWit, DuBois, Erdem, Larose, & Lipman, 2016), the potential to increase relational permanency (Avery, 2011), increased short-term educational outcomes (Herrera, Grossman, Kauh, & McMaken, 2011), and even long-term economic benefits (Timpe & Lunkenheimer, 2015). Evaluations of mentoring programs suggest favorable outcomes for vulnerable youths, but few studies have focused on the potential benefits it could bring to foster youths (Osterling & Hines, 2006; Spencer, Collins, Ward & Smashnaya, 2010).