JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT RESEARCH

Mentoring relationships are critical to adolescent development and can foster social change. While evidence highlights the positive impact of mentors, there is limited understanding of how this process unfolds for Latinx immigrant-origin emerging adults, and the potential for other adults to hinder their sociopolitical development. Through Constructivist Grounded Theory, we explored: How do nonparental adults (1) positively shape and (2) hinder the sociopolitical development of immigrant-origin Latinx emerging adults? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants (N = 23; Mage = 20) from U.S. regions with large but varying Latinx populations in collaboration with university and community partners. The results are in line with our assertion that participants’ sociopolitical development was positively shaped by adults who gave emotional support, provided opportunities for critical social analysis, modeled sociopolitical engagement, arranged opportunities for action, and equipped young people through instrumental support. The findings also support our assertion on how nonparental adults hindered sociopolitical development through discouraging dialogue, restricting action, and manipulation. Findings have implications for future youth development interventions. We provide recommendations for future research and practice.

ADOLESCENT RESEARCH REVIEW

Latinx children and adolescents are uniquely positioned within the U.S. context, historically experiencing both systemic and institutional failings. Mentoring relationships plays a protective role in healthy youth development and may alleviate some of the deficit narrative often placed upon Latinx youth. To better understand these potential benefits, this systematic review examined the current literature on the role of mentoring (i.e., both natural and formal mentoring) in a variety of developmental outcomes of Latinx children and adolescents in the U.S., ranging from kindergarten-age to under 18 years old. The 24 included studies had mixed results, yet findings pointed to a range of potential benefits for this population, such as improved academic and psychosocial outcomes, language and ethnic identity. Various components of mentoring—including mentor characteristics, relationship characteristics, and family involvement in mentoring programs—were also found to be related to Latinx youth’s improved developmental outcomes. However, methodological concerns in study designs limit what can be gleaned from these conclusions. Recommendations for future directions for research and intervention are provided.

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE

Study aims were to examine oppression in education among Mexican immigrant youth with undocumented status and how mentors and other adults helped them resist oppression. Qualitative, narrative one-on-one interviews were conducted with 17 Mexican immigrant young adults with undocumented or DACA status in the U.S. Participants provided retrospective accounts from childhood through older adolescence. Analyses revealed critical junctures in which participants experienced oppression: (1) developmental milestones and school events, (2) college application process, (3) unforeseen life events, and (4) incidents of racial discrimination. Mentors and other adults helped participants to resist oppression through advocacy, social capital efforts, role modeling, and emotional, instrumental, and financial support. This study fills gaps in the literature on mentoring and immigrant youth who are undocumented.

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY

The current mixed-method study examined the role of natural mentors in the cyclical process of college students’ sociopolitical development, particularly their critical consciousness. College students (N = 145) completed surveys at two time points over a one-year period. Path analyses indicated that critical action and perceived inequalities were significantly associated with more social justice conversations with mentors and that having more social justice conversations with mentors was significantly associated with more critical action and perceived inequality. Further, mentoring conversations and sociopolitical efficacy helped to explain the positive role of perceived inequality and action on later attitudes around perceived inequalities and critical action. Qualitative one-on-one interviews of a subset of participants (n = 30) expanded findings from the quantitative data and revealed detailed information about how mentors supported youth critical consciousness. Specifically, mentors engaged in 1) dialogue and reflection, 2) information and resource sharing, 3) nonjudgmental, comfortable conversations, and 4) role modeling. Findings inform the iterative nature of critical consciousness and on how older adolescents leverage support from natural mentors in this process.