Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Nov;51(8):3152-3170.
doi: 10.1002/jcop.23030. Epub 2023 Mar 22.

MentorOn: A peer mentoring program developed for COVID-19 times

Kira N Patel  1 , Brenna Lincoln  1 , Lester A Mejia Gomez  2 , Ana C Lopez  1 , Tobin Ting  3 , Terese J Lund  2 , Belle Liang  1
Affiliations

MentorOn: A peer mentoring program developed for COVID-19 times

Kira N Patel et al. J Community Psychol. 2023 Nov.

Abstract

Burgeoning research has documented COVID-19's detrimental impacts globally, especially on the lives of adolescents. The present study examined the positive influences of a virtual, cross-age peer mentoring program on the development of adolescent participants in the face of the hardships created by the pandemic. In particular, this study focuses on the experiences of high school participants who served as both mentors and mentees in the program. Semi-structured interviews with participating high schoolers (n = 13) were coded and analyzed using the thematic analysis process. The interview data indicated that increased social support, the agency in prosocial pursuits, and greater purpose engagement resulted from their participation in the program. Results are discussed in the context of self-determination theory: youths' needs for relatedness, competence, and autonomy. The program met these basic needs among participants which in turn supported purpose exploration during the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; adolescence; cross-age peer mentoring; positive youth development; prosociality; purpose in life; self-determination theory.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Berndt, T. J. (2002). Friendship quality and social development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11(1), 7-10. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00157
    1. Berndt, T. J., & Keefe, K. (1995). Friends' influence on adolescents' adjustment to school. Child Development, 66(5), 1312-1329. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131649
    1. Birditt, K. S., Turkelson, A., Fingerman, K. L., Polenick, C. A., & Oya, A. (2021). Age differences in stress, life changes, and social ties during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for psychological well-being. The Gerontologist, 61(2), 205-216. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa204
    1. Blattner, M. C. C., Liang, B., Lund, T., & Spencer, R. (2013). Searching for a sense of purpose: The role of parents and effects on self-esteem among female adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 36(5), 839-848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.06.008
    1. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

LinkOut - more resources