In This Together: New Study Highlights Peer Connections as a Pathway to Belongingness in Youth Mentoring

Boat, A. A., Hsieh, D., & Wu, C.-Y. (2024). Bidirectional pathways between relationships and sense of belonging in a program for youth living in low-income households. Children and Youth Services Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107797

Introduction

Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs focus on promoting youths’ strengths through supportive relational contexts. However, the specific impacts of these programs on youth from low-income households, who face significant structural and systemic inequities, remain underexplored. Boat and colleagues (2024) examine the bidirectional pathways between relationships with peers and program staff and youths’ sense of belonging.

Methods

194 youth participants aged 8-17 years (75% youth of color; 46% female) from a PYD program completed surveys assessing their relationships and sense of belonging at three time-points. Covariates such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, length of time in the program, and mentor matching were also considered.

An autoregressive cross-lagged path model was used to analyze the data, allowing for an examination of the influence of developmental relationships and sense of belonging on each other over time.

Results

• Relationships with peers at the second assessment was positively associated with stronger relationships with both peers and staff, and a greater sense of belonging at the final assessment.
• Interestingly relationships with program staff at the first two assessments did not significantly predict youth’s sense of belonging or peer relationships at the final assessment

Discussion

The study highlights the crucial role of peer relationships in fostering a sense of belonging and enhancing relationships with program staff over time.

Indeed authors suggest that, “cultivating a sense of program belonging and strong peer relationships may be one mechanism that can be leveraged to strengthen youth-to-staff relationships which collectively support positive youth development”.

Implications for Mentors

• Programs should consider: training mentors to support their mentees in building positive peer interactions.
• Leverage Shared Experiences: programs may want to consider facilitating connections among youth with similar backgrounds to strengthen their engagement and relational dynamics within the program.

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