This Article  • Full text  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (15)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Pediatrics, Other  • Alert me on articles by topic

Sharon R. Beier, MD; Walter D. Rosenfeld, MD; Kenneth C. Spitalny, MD; Shelley M. Zansky, PhD; Alexandra N. Bontempo, MS

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:327-331.

Background  While mentorship programs, which connect adolescents with adults to whom they can turn to for help and advice, are proliferating in an attempt to prevent high-risk behaviors in teenagers, there are few data to show that mentorship actually makes a difference.

Objective  To determine if there is an association between having an adult mentor and high-risk behaviors in adolescents.

Hypothesis  Adolescents who have an adult mentor would be less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors than those without an adult mentor.

Design  Cross-sectional study. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was developed to assess demographics, involvement in risk behaviors, and the prevalence of a mentor in the life of a young person.

Participants  A convenience sample of 294 adolescents, seen consecutively (93% of those approached), receiving outpatient medical care. Participants were predominantly female (68%), of mixed race/ethnicity, aged between 12 and 23 years (mean ± SD age, 16.9 ± 2.4), and from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Setting  An adolescent health service in a suburban community-based teaching hospital.

Main Outcome Measures  Adolescent smoking, alcohol and drug use, sexual practices, and weapon carrying.

Results  Adolescents with mentors were significantly less likely to participate in 4 of the 5 measured risk behaviors: ever carrying a weapon (odds ratio, 0.41; P.01), illicit drug use in the past 30 days (odds ratio, 0.44;P.01), smoking more than 5 cigarettes per day (odds ratio, 0.54; P.05), and sex with more than 1 partner in the past 6 months (odds ratio, 0.56;P.05). No significant difference was found with alcohol use (3 drinks in the past 30 days).

Conclusion  A strong positive relationship was found between adolescents having an adult mentor and decreased participation in 4 of the 5 risk behaviors evaluated.

From the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY (Dr Beier); the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health, Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, NJ (Dr Rosenfeld); and the Center for Community Health, New York State Department of Health, Albany (Drs Spitalny and Zansky and Ms Bontempo).

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Youth in Foster Care With Adult Mentors During Adolescence Have Improved Adult Outcomes
Ahrens et al.
Pediatrics 2008;121:e246-e252.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Delaying Second Births Among Adolescent Mothers: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of a Home-Based Mentoring Program
Black et al.
Pediatrics 2006;118:e1087-e1099.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Natural Mentoring Relationships and Adolescent Health: Evidence From a National Study
DuBois and Silverthorn
Am. J. Public Health 2005;95:518-524.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Role Models, Ethnic Identity, and Health-Risk Behaviors in Urban Adolescents
Yancey et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002;156:55-61.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT