Mentoring Highly Aggressive Children: Pre–Post Changes in Mentors’ Attitudes, Personality, and Attachment Tendencies

This study examined the degree to which mentoring highly aggressive children was associated with changes in mentors’ attitudes,
personality, and attachment tendencies. Participants were 102 college students who each mentored an aggressive, high-risk
child across three academic semesters (spring, fall, spring). We examined pre- to post-mentoring changes in attitudes about
mentoring efficacy and future parenting, Big Five personality characteristics, and attachment tendencies. Mentors also rated
the impact of the mentoring relationship in their lives, and both mentors and mentees rated support of the mentoring relationship.
Results indicated a statistically significant decrease over time in mentors’ ratings of self-efficacy, openness, conscientiousness,
extraversion, and agreeableness. These findings held even when controlling for ratings of relationship impact. However, mentors
who rated the mentoring relationship as supportive tended to experience increased openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness
and less attachment-related avoidance over time. Child-rated support negatively predicted mentors’ post-mentoring attitudes
toward future parenting. Discussed are the potential costs of mentoring highly aggressive children and strategies that could
help increase benefits to mentors.