Research from Related Fields

A summary of research from psychology, sociology and other fields as it relates to youth mentoring.

New research brief addresses the educational struggles of Black children and youth in the era of COVID-19

/0 Comments/in /by

DOWNLOAD THE BRIEF Authors Noni Gaylord-Harden, Ph.D., Texas A&M University Valerie Adams-Bass, Ph.D., University of Virginia Erin Bogan, Ph.D., American Institutes for Research Lori Francis, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University Judith Scott, Ph.D., Boston University Eleanor Seaton, Ph.D., Arizona State University Joanna Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers University Data on COVID-19 transmission rates show an irrefutable and disturbing […]

Read more

The pandemic has taken a toll on young adults’ mental health. A new study reveals just how severe it is

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Arianna MacNeill, Boston.com  It may come as no surprise that young adults are experiencing higher rates of depression and other mental health concerns as the COVID-19 pandemic rages forward in the U.S. But just how much higher are these cases compared to the pre-pandemic past? A new report led by Massachusetts General Hospital, and […]

Read more

To disclose or not to disclose?

/2 Comments/in , , /by

Edited by Renée Spencer Editor’s Note: Much like therapists, mentors are often confronted with making decisions – often on the spot – about what kind of information to share with their mentees and when. Laura Yoviene’s summary of a recent review article on therapist self-disclosure offers some insights and food for thought for tackling the […]

Read more

Using a life course perspective to predict short- and long-term consequences of COVID-19

/0 Comments/in , /by

Settersten, R. A., Jr., Bernardi, L., Härkönen, J., Antonucci, T. C., Dykstra, P. A., Heckhausen, J., Kuh, D., Mayer, K. U., Moen, P., Mortimer, J. T., Mulder, C. H., Smeeding, T. M., van der Lippe, T., Hagestad, G. O., Kohli, M., Levy, R., Schoon, I., & Thomson, E. (2020). Understanding the effects of Covid-19 through a life course lens. Advances in […]

Read more

Social-emotional development is critical to prevent youth violence

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Malti, T. (2020). Children and Violence: Nurturing Social‐Emotional Development to Promote Mental Health. Social Policy Report, 33(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/sop2.8 Summarized Monica Arkin Notes of interest: While research on violence in children and youth tends to focus on risk factors, this article focuses on protective factors. Positive social-emotional development is a central protective factor that helps children […]

Read more

A sense of connectedness in adolescence predicts positive outcomes in adulthood

/0 Comments/in , /by

Steiner, R. J., Sheremenko, J., Lesesne, C., Dittus, P. J., Sieving, R. E., & Ethier, K. A. (2019). Adolescent Connectedness and Adult Health Outcomes. Pediatrics. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-3766 Summarized by Harry Bayly Using Ad Health data on 14,800 adolescents, this study examined if adolescents who felt connected within their family and their school community would demonstrate […]

Read more

Volunteering is linked to better mental and physical health in adults

/0 Comments/in , /by

Kim, E. S., Whillans, A. V., Lee, M. T., Chen, Y., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2020). Volunteering and Subsequent Health and Well-Being in Older Adults: An Outcome-Wide Longitudinal Approach. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.03.004 Summarized by Monica Arkin Notes of Interest: Researchers find physical and mental health benefits for adults ages 50+ who volunteer […]

Read more

New measure assesses whether youth’s relational needs are being met

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Zvelc, G., Jovanoska, K., & Zvelc, M. (2020). Development and validation of the relational needs satisfaction scale. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(901). Summarized by Monica Arkin Notes of Interest: The Relational Needs Satisfaction Scale is a 20-item measure assessing how well relational needs are being met Relational needs are important throughout the lifespan and can only […]

Read more
Transference: A rarely acknowledged dimension of youth mentoring relationships - Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring

Why are some therapists better than others: Implications for mentors

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Amy Novotney, APA Why are some psychologists better at providing therapy than others? “It’s quite surprising how little research has been devoted to [answering this question], particularly given its importance in psychotherapy training,” says Bruce Wampold, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. But that dearth of knowledge is about to change, thanks to a […]

Read more

Mentoring and the New Science of “Wise Interventions”

/0 Comments/in , /by

  In his influential paper, The New Science of Wise Intervention, Stanford psychologist Gregory Walton argued for the importance of first developing psychologically precise theories of change that target the processes (e.g., maladaptive thoughts, behaviors, feelings, environments) that impede thriving and then developing interventions that efficiently target and alter these processes. Changes in these processes […]

Read more