The role of academic mentors for Latino/a adolescents exposed to community violence

AimsWe examined the protective role of academic mentors for Latino/a youth exposed to community violence. We tested whether the mentor facilitation of positive growth and mentor school involvement moderated the relations between exposure to violence and Latino/a youth’s educational values, school effort, and academic efficacy.MethodsWe used hierarchical linear regressions to examine these relations among 210 Latino/a high school students.ResultsWitnessing violence and personal victimization was negatively related to all three educational outcomes. Mentor school involvement was positively related to all three educational outcomes, whereas mentor facilitation of growth was positively related to educational values only. A significant interaction between witnessing violence and mentor school involvement indicated that the negative relation between witnessing violence and educational values weakened at high levels of mentor school involvement.ConclusionWe discuss the benefits of academic mentoring and exploring effective mentoring characteristics with Latino/a youth exposed to violence.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150558/1/jcop22189_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150558/2/jcop22189.pd

Social science theories on adolescent risk-taking: the relevance of behavioral inhibition and activation

The major social science theories on adolescent risk-taking-strain, social control, and differential association theories-have received substantial empirical support. The relationships between variables central to these theories and individual differences in temperament related to risk-taking, however, have not been adequately studied. In a sample of adolescents, this study examines how behavioral inhibition and activation relate to variables central to social control, strain, and differential association theories and how interactions between behavioral inhibition and activation and these theories predict aggressive and nonaggressive forms of risk-taking. The results of this study suggest that (a) BIS (behavioral inhibition system) and BAS (behavioral approach system) are related to strain, social control, and differential associations; (b) the effects of these social science and personality variables are, at least partially, additive; and (c) significant interactions exist between BIS/BAS and social control and differential association. Combining social science and personality concepts therefore could advance the understanding of differences in risk-taking