Targeted, goal-focused approaches to mentoring can improve behavioral and mental health outcomes than more recreational, non-specific approaches. However, a focus on goals needs to be balanced with openness to including mentees’ preferences. This study builds on prior work by exploring the benefits of goal- and youth-focused approaches to mentoring relationships from the youth mentee’s perspective, including their associations with relationship measures (closeness and tension) and mental health outcomes (i.e., conduct problems, emotional symptoms, and depressive symptoms). This study was a secondary analysis of data from 2165 youth participating in thirty nationally representative mentoring programs in the United States. On average, youth were 12.3-years-old (SD = 1.43, range = 9–16) and the majority were female (55%); 36.7% were Black/African American, 22.4% were White, and 23.5% were Latino/Hispanic. Path analyses revealed 1) youth- and goal-focused approaches were positively associated with closeness, 2) youth-focused approaches were negatively associated with tension, 3) goal-focused approaches were positively associated with tension. At follow-up, a stronger mentoring relationship (less tension and greater closeness) was related to positive youth outcomes. As the field of mentoring corrects for an overemphasis on intuitive approaches and moves towards more targeted directions, it should resist veering too far from what sets the field apart from skills-training models: the role of a caring relationship.

有针对性的、以目标为中心的指导方法比娱乐性的、非特定的方法可以改善行为和心理健康结果。然而，对目标的关注需要与接受学员偏好的开放性相平衡。本研究建立在先前工作的基础上，从青年受训者的角度探索以目标和青年为中心的指导关系方法的好处，包括它们与关系测量（亲密和紧张）和心理健康结果（即行为问题、情绪症状）的关联和抑郁症状）。这项研究是对 2165 名青年参与美国 30 个具有全国代表性的辅导计划的数据的二次分析。平均而言，青年人为 12.3 岁（SD = 1.43，范围 = 9-16），大多数为女性（55%）；36. 7% 是黑人/非裔美国人，22.4% 是白人，23.5% 是拉丁裔/西班牙裔。路径分析显示 1) 以青年和目标为中心的方法与亲密感呈正相关，2) 以青年为中心的方法与紧张呈负相关，3) 以目标为中心的方法与紧张呈正相关。在后续行动中，更强的指导关系（更少的紧张和更亲密）与积极的青年成果相关。随着指导领域纠正过分强调直觉方法并朝着更有针对性的方向发展，它应该避免偏离该领域与技能培训模型的区别：关爱关系的作用。2) 以青年为中心的方法与紧张呈负相关，3) 以目标为中心的方法与紧张呈正相关。在后续行动中，更强的指导关系（更少的紧张和更亲密）与积极的青年成果相关。随着指导领域纠正过分强调直觉方法并朝着更有针对性的方向发展，它应该避免偏离该领域与技能培训模型的区别：关爱关系的作用。2) 以青年为中心的方法与紧张呈负相关，3) 以目标为中心的方法与紧张呈正相关。在后续行动中，更强的指导关系（更少的紧张和更亲密）与积极的青年成果相关。随着指导领域纠正过分强调直觉方法并朝着更有针对性的方向发展，它应该避免偏离该领域与技能培训模型的区别：关爱关系的作用。