Poster #127 - Developmental Relationships and Sense of Purpose: The Impact of a Community-Based Mentoring Program

• In Event: Poster Session 14

Abstract

Youths’ sense of purpose—commonly defined as “a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is at once meaningful to the self and of consequence to the world beyond the self” (Damon et al., 2003, p. 121)—has been associated with a variety of positive developmental outcomes. These outcomes include increased goal achievement (Bronk et al., 2009), academic engagement (Pizzolato et al., 2011), prosocial behavior (Damon et al., 2003), and well-being (Burrow et al., 2010; Damon et al., 2003), among others. Unfortunately, experiencing poverty may be a barrier to developing youth purpose, as this environmental circumstance may necessitate a focus on short-term goals for overcoming the daily challenges of poverty at the expense of meaningful, long-term motivations (Machell et al., 2015; Nurmi et al., 1994). However, youth purpose can be bolstered by community-based programs that support youths’ interests and facilitate positive relationship-building with peers and adults (Koshi & Mariano, 2012; White et al., 2020). The current study explores the extent to which relationships formed in a community-based mentoring program contribute to the sense of purpose for youth from low-income neighborhoods.

This study uses baseline data from an evaluation of the DREAM Village Mentoring program, which engages youth from low-income neighborhoods in high-quality academic support, summer enrichment, and adventure programming. Additionally, some youth receive a 1:1 mentoring relationship. The sample includes 204 DREAM youth, ages 8-18 (47% girls, 48% boys, and 5% other). Approximately half of the sample identified as Black/African American (44%), 26% identified as White, 11% identified as Hispanic/Latinx, 7% identified as multiracial, 3% identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, 2% identified as “other,” and 1% identified as Native American. Of the 204 youth participants, 99 of them had a mentor.

A multiple regression model was used to examine the association between youth’s developmental relationships with peers and program staff with youth’s sense of purpose. Subsequently, an interaction effect was specified to assess whether having a DREAM mentor strengthened the relationship between developmental relationships with peers and program staff and youths’ sense of purpose. Further, the regression model accounted for youth age, gender, and race/ethnicity.

Findings revealed that both developmental relationships with peers (β = .19, SE = .06, p < .05) and program staff (β = .20, SE = .07, p < .05) are significantly associated with a greater sense of purpose among youth (See Table 1 for coefficients). Although marginal, findings also show that having a mentor strengthened the relationship between developmental relationships with peers and youth purpose (β = .17, SE = .13, p = .056; see Figure 1).

These findings are aligned with the literature that suggests community-based programs that facilitate positive relationships with both peers and program staff can bolster the development of youth purpose for youth from low-income neighborhoods. Moreover, the addition of having a 1:1 mentoring relationship can further strengthen the impact of positive relationships with peers on youth purpose. Taken together, these findings illustrate the importance of establishing a strong relational climate in community-based programs.

Author

• Heather Poparad, Search Institute
  Presenting Author