Practice Profile: Mentoring for Youth Development

Date Modified: May 15, 2023

This practice review has been updated to reflect findings from a more recent meta-analysis. In 2013 the practice (originally called Mentoring) was reviewed with meta-analyses by Tolan and colleagues (2008), DuBois and colleagues (2011), and Thomas, Lorenzetti, and Spragins (2011). The practice was rated Effective for reducing delinquency outcomes. The practice was rated Promising in reducing the use of alcohol and drugs and improving school attendance, grades, academic achievement test scores, social skills, and peer relationships. In 2022, a re-review was conducted of the practice’s evidence base. The practice was renamed as Mentoring for Youth Development. The meta-analysis by Tolan and colleagues (2008) remained in the practice’s evidence base, and a new meta-analysis by Raposa and colleagues (2019) was added to the evidence base. Based on these two meta-analyses, the practice remained rated Effective for reducing delinquency and for improving educational outcomes. The practice was also rated Promising in improving psychological outcomes and cognitive functioning and rated No Effects in reducing substance use. In addition, the meta-analysis by DuBois and colleagues (2011) was screened out (because of reporting results based on combined effect sizes with studies that had active comparison groups and inactive comparison groups), and the meta-analysis by Thomas, Lorenzetti, and Spragins (2011) was separated into a new practice, called Mentoring to Prevent Youth Substance Use.

Date Created: September 10, 2013