Premium
How youth mentoring relationships end and why it matters: a mixed‐methods, multi‐informant study
Author(s) -
Spencer Renée,
Keller Thomas E.,
Perry Meghan,
Drew Alison L.,
ClarkShim Hyuny,
Horn John Paul,
MirandaDíaz Miriam,
McCormack Martha J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/nyas.14290
Subject(s) - closure (psychology) , psychology , qualitative research , perception , process (computing) , multimethodology , medical education , qualitative property , descriptive research , applied psychology , medicine , pedagogy , sociology , political science , computer science , social science , neuroscience , machine learning , law , operating system
Scant empirical attention has been devoted to understanding endings in youth mentoring relationships, despite the frequency with which they occur. This study examined data from a mixed‐methods study of mentoring relationship endings in which youth mentees, the youth's parents or guardians, mentors, and program staff were surveyed about the closure process, and a subsample of program staff, mentors, and parents or guardians also participated in in‐depth qualitative interviews. Findings from a descriptive analysis detailing the perceptions of multiple stakeholders in the closure process as reported in surveys are presented along with case studies derived from a case‐based analysis of in‐depth qualitative interview data. Most relationship endings were initiated by the mentors, and although some matches engaged in an intentional and direct closure process, more often the endings were unclear or even confusing to program participants. Implications for practice are discussed, including recommendations for more training and greater involvement of program staff in the closure process, as are implications for future research.