Pre-existing parental stress and youth internalizing symptoms predict parent-reported COVID-related stress in military families.

Understanding the extent to which youth and families experienced COVID-related stress requires accounting for prior levels of stress and other associated factors. This is especially important for military families, which experience unique stressors and may be reluctant to seek outside help. In this prospective study, we examined the role of pre-pandemic family factors in predicting parent and youth stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pathways by which case managers' match support influences youth mentoring outcomes: Testing the systemic model of youth mentoring.

Keller's systemic model of youth mentoring posits there are multiple pathways through which all stakeholders in the youth mentoring process, including the program staff who support the match (or case managers), influence youth outcomes. This study examines case managers' direct and indirect contributions to match outcomes and tests how transitive interactions facilitate a theorized sequence of mentoring interactions to effect greater closeness and length, specifically in nontargeted mentoring programs. A structural equations model of case manager contributions to match outcomes was tested using data from 758 mentor-mentee matches, supported by 73 case managers across seven mentoring agencies.

Do program practices matter for mentors?: How implementation of empirically supported program practices is associated with youth mentoring relationship quality.

This study investigates how the implementation of program-level practices by formal youth mentoring programs is associated with the quality of youth mentoring relationships as contexts for youth development and also examines whether this connection is mediated by the mentor-staff working alliance. Using data from mentors (n = 542) participating in multiple programs (n = 55), multilevel path models examined hypothesized direct and mediated effects. Parallel analyses were conducted with assessments of program practices from staff (n = 219).

Formal youth mentoring relationships in the context of risk: What is the role of caregiver-mentor collaboration?

Most research on youth mentoring relationships has focused on the mentor-mentee dyad, yet caregivers play an important role in supporting these relationships. Drawing on a large, multisite sample of youth in formal mentoring programs (N = 2165), this study investigated associations between caregiver-mentor collaboration and mentoring relationship outcomes in the context of environmental and individual youth risk factors. Analysis of novel quantitative measures assessing caregivers' experiences of the mentoring relationships revealed two factors reflecting caregivers' collaboration with mentors (caregiver involvement and mentor backing), and three factors reflecting caregivers' perceptions of mentor effectiveness (meeting youth needs, advocating for youth, and supporting youth behavior).

Mentoring and depressive symptoms of youth: Examining prospective and interactive associations with mentoring relationship quality.

A significant body of research has demonstrated that mentoring relationships support positive youth development. The quality of the mentoring relationship has been identified as a predictor of positive youth outcomes. However, limited research has examined how engagement in a mentoring program may be related to youth depressive symptoms specifically.

Changes in Healthcare Workers' Anxiety During Two Time Points of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study.

Evidence on the within-person changes of healthcare workers' mental health across waves of COVID-19 cases during this pandemic is absent. The aim of this study is to examine the within-person changes of anxiety in Argentinean healthcare workers, adjusting for main demographic factors, region of residence, mental disorder history, and COVID-19 contagion, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A longitudinal web survey ( = 305) was conducted during two time points of the pandemic, one of which was an infection peak.

A Longitudinal Study on the Changes in Mental Health of Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

: This study examines Argentinean health care workers in order to 1) test self-perceived job performance levels and the presence of psychological symptoms compatible with common mental disorders, and 2) examine within-person changes in general discomfort and psychological distress, adjusting for demographic factors, region, and health-related factors during two time points of the COVID-19 pandemic.: This longitudinal study comprised 305 healthcare workers who completed a survey at two time points approximately 4 months apart. We used the General Health Questionnaire and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale to measure mental health outcomes.

Web-Based Training for School-Based Mentors of Military-Connected Youth: A Multi-Phase Development Study.

This paper describes a multi-phase effort to develop a web-based training for adults serving as mentors in school-based programs for youth with a parent in the military. In Phase 1, we conducted focus groups with military parents to: gauge their receptivity to this type of supportive intervention, identify program features that would make the option of mentoring for their children more or less appealing, and identify specific training needs for adult volunteers preparing for the role of mentor to youth in this population. In Phase 2, we used an iterative process to develop the training protocol, including cycling through multiple drafts, creating a web-based platform, reviewing and incorporating feedback from various stakeholders, and then pilot testing the training with two groups of mentor volunteers as part of a school-based mentoring program for military-connected students.

Connecting Youth: The Role of Mentoring Approach.

While formal youth mentoring can positively influence youth connectedness, little research has studied the specific approaches mentors engage in that support mentee social development. This study examines how mentors' specific approaches are uniquely associated with youth connection outcomes in formal community-based mentoring. Participants were 766 youth, ranging in age from 11 to 14 (M = 12.

Investigating mentor commitment in youth mentoring relationships: The role of perceived program practices.

Highly committed mentors may be less likely to end their mentoring relationships with their mentees. Theory suggests commitment is predicted by relationship satisfaction, investment, and perceptions of available alternatives. Mentoring program practices may influence commitment, but little research has investigated potential mechanisms.

Impact of Membrane Pore Size on the Clarification Performance of Grape Marc Extract by Microfiltration.

The influence of membrane pore size on the permeate flux, fouling mechanism, and rejection of soluble and suspended solids, as well as of phenolics and anthocyanins, in the clarification of grape marc extract by microfiltration (MF) was studied. MF was operated by using three monotubular ceramic membranes with a pore size of 0.14, 0.

Development of a stir bar sorptive extraction method for the determination of volatile compounds in orange juices.

A stir bar sorptive extraction method for the determination of volatile compounds in orange juices was developed. The extraction variables were optimized using a reduced two-level factorial screening design (2(5-1) ), and the most suitable analytical conditions for the extraction of the studied compounds were: sample volume 10 mL, extraction time 60 min, stirring speed 1800 rpm, NaCl amount 30% (weight/volume), and twister length 10 mm. The optimized method was further validated, obtaining good linearity and detection and quantification limits low enough to correctly determine the studied compounds.

The Impact of Youth Risk on Mentoring Relationship Quality: Do Mentor Characteristics Matter?

Although mentoring is a widely used intervention strategy, effect sizes for at-risk youth remain modest. Research is therefore needed to maximize the impact of mentoring for at-risk youth who might struggle to benefit from mentoring relationships. This study tested the hypothesis that different types of youth risk would have a negative impact on mentoring relationship quality and duration and explored whether mentor characteristics exacerbated or mitigated these negative effects.

Pathways of influence in school-based mentoring: the mediating role of parent and teacher relationships.

This study explores the pathways through which school-based mentoring relationships are associated with improvements in elementary and high school students' socio-emotional, academic, and behavioral outcomes. Participants in the study (N=526) were part of a national evaluation of the Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based mentoring programs, all of whom had been randomly assigned to receive mentoring at their schools over the course of one academic year. Students were assessed at the beginning and end of the school year.

Mentoring in schools: an impact study of big brothers big sisters school-based mentoring.

This random assignment impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring involved 1,139 9- to 16-year-old students in 10 cities nationwide. Youth were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (receiving mentoring) or a control group (receiving no mentoring) and were followed for 1.5 school years.

The impact of school-based mentoring on youths with different relational profiles.

Associations between youths' relationship profiles and mentoring outcomes were explored in the context of a national, randomized study of 1,139 youths (54% female) in geographically diverse Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based mentoring programs. The sample included youths in Grades 4-9 from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, the majority of whom were receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Latent profile analysis, a person-oriented approach, was used to identify 3 distinct relational profiles.

"I dunno, what do you wanna do?": testing a framework to guide mentor training and activity selection.

Whether relational or goal-directed interactions are most useful in youth mentoring has been frequently debated, but until recently, little work had been done to understand how such interactions manifest to create viable relationship styles. The authors' findings in the first study they explore in this article support Karcher and Nakkula's assertion that relational and goal-directed interactions are distinct. The authors found that both made significant contributions to relationship quality, but for children and preadolescents, relational interactions appeared to be more strongly associated with the quality of the mentoring relationship than did goal-oriented interactions.

Parents' emotional availability and infant emotional competence: predictors of parent-infant attachment and emerging self-regulation.

One-year-old infants (N = 62) and their mothers and fathers were observed in free play and teaching sessions in order to examine parents' emotional availability and the infant's emotional competence. Mothers were more emotionally available than fathers, and infants exhibited more effortful attention with mothers than with fathers. Similar relations between parental emotional availability and infant emotional competence were found for mother-infant and father-infant dyads.