Psychology Commons^™

Lessons Learned From Conducting Health Behavior Research In An Under-Resourced, Urban Community, Keri F. Kirk, Brittany Schuler, Daphne C. Hernandez

Health Behavior Research

Existing literature discusses challenges in conducting community-engaged health behavior interventions. However, discussions associated with the barriers to executing community-engaged health behavior research with vulnerable populations are limited in the literature. This current issue provides lessons learned for the purpose of improving community-engaged research within communities that are under-resourced. The lessons learned stem from challenges with the recruitment and enrollment procedures and study design with a previous qualitative community-engaged research project. The research recommendations proposed are geared toward students preparing to engage in dissertation research and early-stage investigators who are interested in conducting research in under-resourced communities.

Collaborating With Big Brothers Big Sisters And Parents To Develop Caregiver-Initiated Mentoring, Meredith J. Scafe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that youth enrolled in formal mentoring programs often wait months before being matched with a mentor. This paper describes the development and pilot test of Caregiver-Initiated Mentoring (CG-IM), a program originally designed to equip caregivers to assist Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) mentoring program staff in identifying and recruiting mentors from their social network. Using a mixed-methods design, the initial efficacy of the CG-IM program was evaluated via a small pilot test. I broadly explored caregivers’ experiences participating in the CG-IM program and a BBBS staff member’s experience implementing it. Caregivers completed a post-survey that included quantitative measures …

Assessing Need And Acceptability Of A Youth Mentoring Intervention For Adolescents With Autism By Adults With Autism, Kai Y. Gunty, Lindsey Weiler, Angela Keyzers, Rebekah Hudock

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Background: Adult mentors can positively influence development, yet youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have too little access to adult mentors who can provide role modeling, guidance, and support. Furthermore, neurotypical adult mentors (i.e., adult mentors without ASD) may not understand the day-to-day realities that youth with ASD face and the social world they navigate. Therefore, it is possible that adults with ASD may be particularly well-suited as mentors for youth with ASD.

Method: Six semi-structured focus groups of four to seven people each explored the need for a mentoring program to bridge the gap between the supports youth with …