Dyadic connections in the context of group mentoring: A social network approach.

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine how relational ties among all participants in a group mentoring program related to connections within assigned mentor-mentee dyads.

Methods: College student female mentors (n = 54) and middle school-aged female mentees ( n = 65) in eight mentoring groups completed social network surveys on multiple occasions, rating all groupmates on connection and effort to reach out.

Results: Hierarchical linear models (participants nested in groups) revealed mentors who were rated as being highly connected to multiple mentees had stronger connections within their dyad. For mentees, high ratings on efforts to reach out to others related to the stronger dyadic connection. Mentees reported lower dyadic connection in groups with more segregation by role.

Conclusion: Results suggest group dynamics matter for one-on-one mentoring relationships, but how they matter differs by role. Implications for the use of social network analysis to assess complex settings are discussed.