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Natural Mentoring Relationships Among Adolescent Mothers: A Study of Resilience
Author(s) -
Hurd Noelle M.,
Zimmerman Marc A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00660.x
Subject(s) - psychology , psychological resilience , anxiety , depressive symptoms , developmental psychology , mental health , clinical psychology , adolescent development , population , natural (archaeology) , adolescent health , psychiatry , medicine , psychotherapist , environmental health , nursing , archaeology , history
This study focused on natural mentoring relationships between nonparental adults and African American adolescent mothers. Data were collected from 93 adolescent mothers over 5 time points, starting in the adolescent mothers' senior year of high school and ending 5 years after high school. We found that having a natural mentor was related to fewer depressive symptoms and fewer anxiety symptoms over time. Natural mentor presence also modified the relationship between stress and mental health problems over time. Facilitating these natural mentoring relationships between adolescent mothers and nonparental adults may be a useful strategy for promoting healthy development within this population.