Natural Mentoring Among Older Youth in and Aging out of Foster Care: A Systematic Review

Background and Purpose: Due to their histories of caregiver maltreatment, living instability, and potential attachment challenges associated with out-of-home care, older youth in and aging out of foster care represent a vulnerable group of adolescents at increased risk for a number of poor well-being outcomes.  However, research supports the notion that a relationship with a competent, caring nonparental adult, such as a mentor, may serve protectively for vulnerable youth, and a nascent yet growing body of literature suggests that naturally occurring mentoring relationships from within youth’s social networks are associated with improved outcomes among young people in foster care during adolescence and the transition to adulthood.  This systematic review is the first to comprehensively identify, synthesize, and summarize what we currently know from nearly a decade of theories, concepts, and research findings pertaining to natural mentoring among adolescent youth in foster care. 

Methods: To systematically identify articles related to natural mentoring among adolescent foster youth, we conducted a bibliographic search of seven databases and made personal outreach to known mentoring researchers, practitioners, and listservs.  Inclusion criteria included manuscripts:  (1) pertaining to natural mentoring among adolescents or emerging adults (ages 13-25) with foster care involvement or histories of foster care involvement, (2) in the English language, (3) through June 1, 2015, (4) in both peer-reviewed and the gray literature, and (5) using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods as well as theoretical/conceptual work. 

Results: Our systematic review yielded 38 relevant manuscripts published between 2006 and 2015.  The articles reviewed were evenly dispersed between study designs, with 12 employing quantitative (n = 9) or mixed (n = 3) methods, 13 utilizing qualitative methods, and 13 contributing conceptual or theoretical work.  Twenty-three (61%) articles were published in peer-reviewed journals, five (13%) were doctoral dissertations and ten (26%) were from non-peer reviewed sources.  Roughly half of the manuscripts were published between 2012 and 2015, indicating that this field is nascent yet growing.  Central themes that emerged include the importance of natural mentoring relationships during foster youth’s transition to adulthood as well as into adulthood (e.g., increased likelihood of completing a high school diploma or GED, avoiding vulnerability in adulthood, a heightened view of one’s strengths and assets, improved psychological well-being and the development of resilience).  Indeed, many studies report a positive relationship between natural mentoring and improved psychosocial, behavioral, or academic outcomes. Studies also found that longevity and consistency were important traits in quality natural mentoring relationships, and several studies investigated barriers and facilitators to natural mentoring relationships among foster youth.

Conclusions and Implications: Although the current evidence base contains theoretically supported studies that together corroborate a positive association between natural mentoring among foster youth and improved well-being outcomes, more rigorous research is needed using large, nationally representative samples that investigate the initiation and growth of natural mentoring relationships over time for youth in care.  Though such research is warranted, the findings and recommendations from the studies included in this review support natural mentoring as a promising approach for youth transitioning to adulthood from foster care.