Relationships With Important Nonparental Adults and Positive Youth Development: An Examination of Youth Self-Regulatory Strengths as Mediators

Adolescents’ Character Role Models: Exploring Who Young People Look Up to as Examples of How to Be a Good Person

“…This finding is consistent with prior research on young people's relationships with parents and important nonparental adults such as mentors, in which the majority of young people (but not all) rate these relationships as positive (e.g., Bowers et al, 2012). Furthermore, this finding is expected given that it is unlikely that participants would have nominated, as an example of how to be a good person, someone with whom they had a strongly negative relationship.…”

“…Parents, friends, siblings, and mentors can make a significant, positive impact on young people's lives (e.g., Bowers et al, 2014). Caring adults seem to play an especially important role in promoting positive outcomes (e.g., Theokas & Lerner, 2006), and they Research in Human Development 2016.13:126-141. may be particularly influential when their relationship with the young person is of high quality (e.g., warm and responsive; Bowers et al, 2012;Kogan, Brody, & Chen, 2011).…”

“…Young people who have positive relationships with important others are more likely to display high levels of positive characteristics, including positive character attributes or character virtues (e.g., Bowers et al, 2012). One potential reason for this finding is that these individuals provide models for the young person to follow (e.g., Bandura, 1989;Oman, Flinders, & Thorensen, 2008), and through interacting with this person, young persons are able to learn these behaviors as they are modeled for them and reinforced (e.g., Hurd, Zimmerman, & Xue, 2009;Zimmerman, Bingenheimer, & Notaro, 2002).…”

Child Welfare Professionals’ Attitudes and Beliefs About Child Welfare-Based Natural Mentoring for Older Youth in Foster Care

“…An emerging evidence base grounded in the frameworks of positive youth development and resiliency suggests that a caring relationship with an adult who is not a parent can facilitate a young person's growth and development (Bowers et al, 2012;Brion-Meisels & Jones, 2012;Spencer, 2011;Sterrett, Jones, McKee, & Kincaid, 2011). Among normative youth, these relationships function promotively by interrupting a trajectory from risk to pathology and helping youth overcome adversity (Zimmerman et al, 2013).…”

Programas de mentoria e promoção do desenvolvimento positivo de adolescentes

“…Programas e iniciativas semelhantes estão a surgir em todo o mundo (DuBois & Karcher, 2005), conferindo uma dimensão global aos reconhecidos benefícios associados aos processos de mentoria. Na base da crescente expansão desta intervenção com adolescentes está o reconhecimento de que relações positivas com adultos não parentais constituem um fator promotor de resiliência e de desenvolvimento normativo e saudável (Bowers et al, 2012;Rhodes, 2002). Em geral, os adolescentes são recetivos à presença de adultos não parentais dada a sua necessidade de independência e autonomização face à sua ligação aos pais, mas num momento em que ainda valorizam os conselhos dos indivíduos mais experientes (Grossman & Bulle, 2006).…”