This evidence summary, authored by Switchboard, provides an insightful overview of the current landscape of research on mentoring, both formal and informal, and its impact on the social-emotional well-being and academic success of youth from immigrant and refugee families in the United States.
There is moderate to strong evidence that mentoring enhances educational aspirations.
- A systematic review, two impact studies, and three suggestive studies highlight that both natural mentors and formal mentors inspire immigrant and refugee youth to set higher educational goals and promote a stronger sense of school belonging. This suggests that mentoring can play a pivotal role in fostering a sense of purpose and encouraging youth to stay engaged in their education.
There is strong evidence that mentors facilitate host language development and access to academic resources.
- Collectively, the 14 studies reviewed provide strong evidence that mentoring relationships are instrumental in enhancing host language proficiency among youth, which is essential for communication and accessing educational and employment opportunities. Mentors often serve as guides, helping youth navigate educational systems and connecting them with vital academic resources.
Evidence about the impact of mentoring on academic performance is weak and generally inconclusive.
- A systematic review and one suggestive study indicate that while mentoring may lead to lower school absences and improved persistence in school, its direct effect on GPA is inconsistent. Two studies in the systematic review report improved grades, but this effect was not consistently observed across other studies that measure academic performance, indicating that academic benefits of mentoring may vary.
There is strong evidence that mentoring leads to psychological benefits and promotes resilience among youth.
- A systematic review, a scoping review, four impact studies, and seven suggestive studies all underscore that mentoring, through natural mentors or formal programs, acts as a protective factor against significant mental health challenges—such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD—and promotes resilience among youth. Across the 14 studies reviewed, mentoring acted as a buffer to protect against stressful life events post-migration, increased hope, fostered a stronger sense of belonging, and improved self-esteem among immigrant and refugee youth, as well as unaccompanied minors.
The evidence strongly suggests that mentoring is a source of emotional support and facilitates overall well-being of youth.
- Two systematic reviews, a scoping review, four impact studies, and several suggestive studies all concur that mentoring relationships, whether natural or formal, are perceived as vital sources of social support and enhance emotional well-being of youth from immigrant and refugee families. Youth describe mentors as caring, socially supportive, and psychologically stabilizing, contributing significantly to their overall well-being.
Mentoring programs show particularly promising results for unaccompanied minors.
- A scoping review and a few suggestive studies demonstrate that unaccompanied immigrant and refugee youth find the support provided by formal mentors as transformative and emotionally valuable over and above the instrumental support provided by youth workers, case managers, or resettlement professionals. Youth report that mentors offer emotional connection, guidance, and access to social networks in the community and institutional resources addressing both their day-to-day needs and broader life goals, helping them prepare to live as independent adults once they leave the assisted services.
