The potential role of an adult mentor in influencing high-risk behaviors in adolescents.

Background While mentorship programs, which connect adolescents with adults to whom they can turn to for help and advice, are proliferating in an attempt to prevent high-risk behaviors in teenagers, there are few data to show that mentorship actually makes a difference. Objective To determine if there is an association between having an adult mentor and high-risk behaviors in adolescents. Hypothesis Adolescents who have an adult mentor would be less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors than those without an adult mentor. Design Cross-sectional study. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was developed to assess demographics, involvement in risk behaviors, and the prevalence of a mentor in the life of a young person. Participants A convenience sample of 294 adolescents, seen consecutively (93% of those approached), receiving outpatient medical care. Participants were predominantly female (68%), of mixed race/ethnicity, aged between 12 and 23 years (mean ± SD age, 16.9 ± 2.4), and from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Setting An adolescent health service in a suburban community-based teaching hospital. Main Outcome Measures Adolescent smoking, alcohol and drug use, sexual practices, and weapon carrying. Results Adolescents with mentors were significantly less likely to participate in 4 of the 5 measured risk behaviors: ever carrying a weapon (odds ratio, 0.41; P ≤.01), illicit drug use in the past 30 days (odds ratio, 0.44; P ≤.01), smoking more than 5 cigarettes per day (odds ratio, 0.54; P ≤.05), and sex with more than 1 partner in the past 6 months (odds ratio, 0.56; P ≤.05). No significant difference was found with alcohol use (≥3 drinks in the past 30 days). Conclusion A strong positive relationship was found between adolescents having an adult mentor and decreased participation in 4 of the 5 risk behaviors evaluated.