Mentoring program enhancements supporting effective mentoring of children of incarcerated parents

• In Event: 2-018 - Children of incarcerated parents: Implications of research on population heterogeneity for mentoring interventions

Abstract/Description

Children of incarcerated parents (COIP) are at risk for a range of negative outcomes; however, participating in a mentoring relationship can be a promising intervention for these youth. Multiple local, state, and federal initiatives have recognized the needs of this at-risk population of youth and have provided funding to support the development of specialized mentoring programs implementing enhanced program practices to serve them. This study examined the impact of mentoring and mentoring program enhancements on COIP.
Preliminary secondary data analyses using regressions with inverse propensity weighting (IPW) were conducted on an archival database consisting of 70,729 matches from 216 Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) local agencies to establish the differential effects of mentoring on COIP, while balancing the COIP and non-COIP samples on a set of 20 covariates. A subset of 45 BBBS agencies, representing 25,252 matches, participated in a telephone interview about program enhancements for better serving COIP. Follow-up regression analyses using IPW were completed on the data subset to determine whether COIP mentees from programs that employ specialized practices for serving COIP experience disproportionately better outcomes than COIP from programs that do not employ such practices. Each outcome was predicted by COIP status, demographic and background covariates, enhanced program practice, and the interaction between enhanced program practice and COIP status. When the interaction was significant, follow-up simple slopes analyses were completed. Enhanced program practices included providing specialized mentor training for mentors serving COIP, having supplemental funding for serving matches with COIP, and having specific goals for serving COIP.
Results revealed that COIP have shorter matches (b=-0.31, p<.05), and have lower grades (b=-0.04, p<.05), school attendance (b=-0.04, p<.05), and parental trust (b=-0.03, p<.05) after one year of mentoring, compared to youth who are non-COIP. Implementing some enhanced program practices mitigated some of the negative outcomes associated with having an incarcerated parent. Among COIP, mentees who come from programs that employ specialized mentor training have significantly longer (simple slope=1.39, p<.0001) and stronger (simple slope=0.08, p<.001) matches and higher educational expectations (simple slope=0.11, p<.0001) than COIP who come from programs that do not offer specialized mentor training. Having additional funding for serving COIP is associated with longer matches overall, not just for COIP from those programs (b=0.75, p <.05). The relationship between COIP status and strength of relationship was also moderated by funding. Simple slopes analyses revealed that COIP from programs that received additional funding had stronger relationships than COIP from programs that did not receive additional funding (simple slope=0.11, p<.0001). Having specific goals for COIP matches was unrelated to all outcomes. Results will be discussed in terms of benefits of a relationship-based intervention for addressing the needs of COIP and suggestions for program improvements when mentoring programs are serving this unique population of youth.

Authors

• Rebecca Lynn Stelter, Innovation Research & Training
  Presenting Author

• Kathryn Stump, innovation Research & Training

• Janis Kupersmidt, Innovation Research & Training, Inc.

• Jean E. Rhodes, University of Massachusetts Boston