Preventive Mentoring: Connected the Disconnected Dots

These have been challenging times for the world, but especially for the 51.6 million children involved in our United States K-12 education system. COVID has had a dramatic impact on the mental health of families and children. In 2021, a national emergency for children’s mental health was declared by leading pediatric health organizations. This was caused by a 24% increase in mental health visits among children aged 5-11years and 31% for adolescents aged 12-17 years compared to corresponding period in 2019 (Leeb et al., 2022). What could be the underlying causes?

The highly complex nature of individual experiences makes it difficult to identify a single reason for these changes during the pandemic. Although prolonged time at home could have increased familial support and identification of mental health care needs for some youth, it might have amplified adversities and stressors among others. Exposure to adverse childhood experiences, such as loss of parents and caregivers, increases in parental mental health challenges and substance abuse, and financial vulnerabilities might have been exacerbated by the pandemic and are associated with poor mental health outcomes among children and adolescents. (McKnight-Eily et al., p.166, 2021 )

As of June 2021, approximately 140,000 children under the age of 18 lost parents and caregivers to COVID 19 (Hillis et al., 2021). In addition, many children experienced uncertainty and loneliness, disruption to daily physical and academic routines, and increased social media exposure. Ongoing research will probably reveal the dramatic impact of these factors as anecdotal observations of teachers have indicated. It should also be noted that children from minority families and under resourced communities are likely to be hit harder due to crowded housing, exposure to high-risk jobs, and other factors (Valentino et al., 2020).

The above facts are evidence of what the Center for Disease Control has called a generation-defining experience. Although available data suggest a relatively low risk for children developing severe COVID-19 medical complications, the mental health impact, as indicated above, is a clear and present danger to public health. (Center for Disease Control report, 2020) Importantly, most mental disorders begin during childhood (Cree et al., 2018).

Given this situation, what can we do to help set children up for success? While environmental stressors such as COVID-19 can increase children’s susceptibility to mental health problems, multiple protective factors can offer opportunities for children to develop resilience, that is, the opportunity for positive adaptation in the face of adversity (Stark et al., 2020). A fifty-year longitudinal study by Werner (1989) followed over one thousand children living in poverty and in dysfunctional families on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Many of the children predictably developed issues themselves as they grew into adulthood. Instead of studying those individuals, Werner chose to study the kids in the high-risk group that defied the odds and overcame their hardships. They shared two characteristics: First, they formed strong bonds with at least one adult “caring champion.” Second, they learned “protective shield” traits.

This paper proposes that mentoring such protective shield skills to children will help enhance or restore their capacity for resilience and thus help them meet the generational-defining challenge of COVID-19. The following are the protective shield skills that Werner discovered.

1. Perseverance
2. Self-confidence
3. Self-control
4. Optimism
5. Goal setting

 

This paper proposes that mentoring such protective shield skills to children will help enhance or restore their capacity for resilience and thus help them meet the generational-defining challenge of COVID-19. The children learned to take responsibility so that they, not their circumstances, determined their outcomes (Werner, 1989).

The MentorSuccess™ program has incorporated these research findings and developed a very effective program over the last three years (Anderson et al, 2021). MentorSuccess™ uses award-winning children’s literature, carefully selected to provide an enriching and fun reading experience. Each resource is analyzed for proper reading and comprehension level, as well as for age, gender, ethnicity, interest area, protective shield and success skills, and effective classroom behaviors. The program also incorporates board games and other interactive learning materials. These are all matched to the student’s reading level as identified by the school. By listening to and interviewing the student the program identifies their special areas of curiosity or interest such as sports, animals, hobbies, careers, etc. Then in conjunction with the teacher and/or parent(s), the protective shield and success skills that the student needs for help in learning to improve or succeed in school are also identified. The data is entered into the proprietary Learning Pathway Generator (LPG) software and a detailed, personalized learning pathway is generated to engage the student enthusiastically.

The mentor can now engage the student with open-ended questions about books that are of great interest to the student and games that are designed to produce a fun learning experience and teach success skills. The mentors have been previously trained on proper praising techniques and the importance of being encouraging and respectful. The mentoring moment is carefully managed to enhance the learning connection.

But exactly how does this create the “wow” experiences that lead to most reachable, most teachable “a-ha” moments that mentors and students experience? Breakthroughs in neuroscience research on mirror neurons and neuroplasticity can provide part of the answer. The research tells us that K-5 students can learn and apply such success topics and put them to use in the classroom by using a complex system of mirror neurons in the brain that promotes learning by both observing and doing. As the brain observes activity it actually rewires itself. Children may not always have the words to express complex activity, but their brain recognizes it as the child reads and interacts with mentors. The impact of positive role models and mentors can be dramatic (Iacoboni, 2008).

In some cases, children that have been exposed to significant adversity are hindered in developing success skills by the cortisol levels produced by the stress responses. Cortisol affects their ability to attach and bond, to productively control stress, and to learn to self-regulate (Stafford-Brizard, 2016). To overcome this challenge, researchers suggest that the student should become involved in an immersive intervention that develops a sense of belonging and connection (Tough, 2016). This is exactly what the MentorSuccess™ program does. With the use of the Learning Pathway Generator and carefully trained mentors, the student and mentor are set up for a fast and effective connection. Evolutionary psychologists say that we all have innate needs to affiliate and form strong bonds “hard-wired” into our brains (Baumeister & Leary, 1995).

When we make a positive social connection, the pleasure-inducing hormone oxytocin and the neurotransmitter serotonin are released into the bloodstream. This immediately reduces anxiety and improves concentration and focus. Each social connection also bolsters our cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immune systems. The more connections are made over time, the better we function (Achor, 2010).

Barbara Frederickson (2001) has done extensive research on the impact of positive social experiences. Her ‘Broaden and Build theory’ says that such connections produce a strong biological response, flooding our brains with dopamine and serotonin. These not only make us feel better, but seem to dial-up the learning centers in our brains. They help us to organize, retain, and retrieve information faster. They also help us build and sustain more neural connections, helping us to think quicker and more creatively (Frederickson, 2001).

While a strong bond between parent and child can have a positive effect, a weak bond can have a negative effect. Weak bonding can cause children to have more anxiety, depression, and detachment issues according to a study done by the American College of Pediatrics (Feldman-Winter, 2016). Although this study was done well before the COVID-19 crisis, it reflects other research studying children’s reactions to natural disasters. (Golberstein et al., 2020). The stay-at-home orders, and physical distancing, along with the impact of prolonged uncertainty, and lack of socialization and skill-based learning, and the reduced physical activity, may all have increased children’s emotional distress and reduced or undermined protective shield factors (Stark, 2020).

From extensive research and practice over the last three years the MentorSuccess™ program has demonstrated it can help build strong bonds–a supercharged connection. The mentors use the previously mentioned LPG program to design a personalized, structured, and focused learning pathway. The mentor engages the student with open-ended questions about books that are of great interest to the student and games that are designed to produce fun learning and teach success skills. The mentors have been previously trained on proper praising techniques and the importance of being encouraging and respectful. The mentoring moment is carefully managed to enhance and make the learning connection. The strong bonding relationship can and does take place.

One big challenge COVID-19 presented to MentorSuccess™ was the shutting down of volunteer mentors coming into the schools using the program. MentorSuccess™ responded by using CDC guidelines to ensure a safe and sanitary environment was used for mentoring. And though some program sites ceased operations, we are now re-engaging with them. The program also began researching cross-age mentoring strategies and the use of the internet “virtual mentoring” so that in case of another pandemic we will be prepared to continue mentoring without any interruptions.

Cross-age mentoring is not a new concept. It is defined as a relationship matching an older youth (the mentor) with a younger youth (the mentee) in which there is a difference of two or more years of age between the mentor and mentee (Karcher et al., 2017). New research is indicating the effectiveness of this type of mentoring. A recent meta-analysis of cross-age mentoring programs indicated an overall effect more than double that observed in past meta-analyses (Dubois et al., 2011) in which an adult was paired with the youth mentor (Rhodes, 2022).

Another meta-analysis showing the efficacy of cross-age mentoring observed that to get these results cross-age mentoring must be done right. Effective programs:

• Had high levels of adult
• Extensive and effective training for
• Solid infrastructure and
• High level of involvement from parents
• Support from teachers and administration (Karcher, et , 2017).

 

Benefits to the youth involved appear to be increases in connectedness to school, better relationships with adults (both teachers and parents) and peers, and improvement in self-esteem.

The meta-analysis from Karcher (Karcher, 2017) also emphasized it was essential to select the right coordinator and mentors, select the right activities, provide sufficient training, and allow the youth participants to lead as much as possible.

The MentorSuccess™ program will be expanding into this cross-age mentoring effort at two of our campuses this fall. The program will incorporate all of the research-based guidelines listed above. In addition, the program has also been asked to begin working in the area of non-therapeutic counseling as a form of preventive mentoring. The goal will be to help children be restored and reengaged. The objective will be to return children with emotional and behavioral issues back to the classroom, and back to learning, as soon as possible. The professional leading this program has an MSW background and will be able to make decisions on whether to refer the student for outside therapeutic help or help them within the school.

Volunteer mentors are rarely thought of as paraprofessionals or even as sitting on the same continuum of therapeutic care. The fact remains, however, that volunteer mentoring relationships and therapeutic relationships share much in common…. When mentoring is effective, it also appears to produce positive outcomes similar to psychotherapy, with a positive relationship serving as the foundation for more functional goal-focused activities and experiences… Research suggests that mentoring programs can successfully move the needle on youth mental health symptoms. (McQuillen, et al., 2021)

Results

Over the 2021–2022 academic year, data collected from a Mid-Year Program Evaluation sent to teachers with students enrolled in MentorSuccess™ indicated that 100% of students benefitted from mentoring, and 86% of students showed significant behavioral change in one or more of the following areas:

• 54% Self-Management (Ability to regulate emotions)
• 46% Relationship Skills
• 38% Increased – Confidence
• 31% Self–Awareness (Ability to recognize emotions and thoughts)
• 15% Social–Awareness (Ability to empathize with others)
• 15% Decision Making

 

On a pre- and post-Behavioral Assessment Survey completed by classroom teachers, each student was assessed for a list of 15 concerning/problematic behaviors (bullying, behaving poorly, inattentive or off task, difficulty accepting consequences, etc.) and given a point score (0 –3) based on the severity of the issue (Not a Problem – Major Problem). A total point score is then calculated with the highest possible score being 45, and the lowest score 0. A decrease in score from the pre- to post- test indicates a decrease in the frequency and/or severity of problematic/concerning behaviors witnessed by teachers.

• 44% of students had a score Decrease
• 31% of students had a score Increase (minimal within 3-5 points)
• 25% of students’ scores remained the (With a few students with a score of 0)

 

The results of the MentorSuccess™ program indicate that a strong connection between a mentor and a student is beneficial and can have tremendous impact on the overall mental wellness of the child. It can help students recover from the devastating mental health crisis such as that caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Research and our observations suggest that mentoring children on “protective shield skills” in grades K-5 can alleviate much of this damage. This program is one way to reconnect the disconnected dots caused by the pandemic’s disruption of normal social and school support.