Rapid City Central High School study (2011)

Rapid City Central HS (South Dakota) Peer Mentoring program evaluation results April 2011

Executive Summary: Peer Mentor training and Peer Mentoring in Rapid City Central High School are associated with positive benefits for students’ well-being and school bonding. Student mentors who also received training were compared with mentors who did not receive training. Students with training reported more positive norms for coping with distress and with suicide, showed higher levels of social connectedness, and were more likely to report recognizing suicidal behaviors in peers than mentors who did not receive mentoring and training.

Second, 9th grade students who were mentored reported greater connectedness to their school and lower maladaptive coping attitudes compared to 9th graders who were not mentored.

Evaluation of 9th Grade Mentoring.

Peer mentoring was expected to increase school engagement and possibly reduce maladaptive coping norms.

*Importantly, 9th grade students who received mentoring reported a high level of engagement at school and were less likely than non-mentored students to endorse use of negative coping strategies such as use of drugs to solve problems.

* = significant difference

Naming trusted adults in all student groups:

The 9th grade groups were not expected to show differences in numbers of trusted adults. The student Mentors trained as Peer Leaders were expected to have more trusted adults because that is a focus of their training.

*Indeed, the Mentor groups had significant differences both in total trusted adults named and numbers of Mentors saying they had a trusted adult.

Knowing, talking to adults about problems, referral behaviors:

No differences were found between Mentor groups on knowing an adult they trust to talk to if need help, or having talked to an adult they trust about a problem in the past three months.

Mentors did not differ on having told a friend with emotional or behavioral problems to get help or having told a suicidal friend to get help from an adult.

*But those with training were more likely to have thought another teen’s behavior might indicate he/she was considering suicide.

Evaluation of training in upperclassmen Mentors.

Mentors with training were much more likely to:

  • have positive coping norms around rejecting codes of silence and
  • have perceptions that adults are available to help suicidal friends than those without Networks of Support training.

Evaluation Measures.

(1) norms for coping with distress and with suicide, and (2) indicators of social ‘connectedness’ (i.e., social integration and perceived support) spanning positive interactions with peers, use of ‘sources of strength’ protective resources, and number of ‘trusted adults’ nominated by youth.

All of the scales showed satisfactory psychometric properties in the national study of Peer Mentors (Wyman et al., 2010). Other measures that could be expected to show group differences are detailed below in (3).

Coping Norms domain consisted of three measures.

  • The Reject Codes of Silence
  • Adult Help for Suicidal Peers
  • Help-Seeking from Adults

Connectedness domain consisted of the following three measures.

  • Natural Helper for Friends
  • On Sources of Strength
  • On Trusted Adults

Other measures include:

  • School Engagement
  • Maladaptive Coping Attitudes
  • Referring Peers to Adults
QUICK LINKS
CONTACT
Tim McGowan Consulting LLC
Follow us on
Copyright © 2024 networksofsupport.com. All Rights Reserved.

Outcomes:

Groups became increasingly unified, exhibiting a shared commitment to healthy norms, and actively encouraged peers in help-seeking behaviors, fostering a supportive environment where every member feels valued and understood.
Social Network Health's interactive training fostered an even more dynamic relationship network. Within these groups, vulnerable members can draw strength from adaptive members, leading to more changes in who they identify as valued connections.
Schools have reported significant improvements in various metrics, including increased daily attendance, higher graduation rates, enhanced identification of Trusted Adults, greater willingness to seek help, and improved connectedness among students and staff. Additionally, school disciplinary issues have notably declined, reflecting the program's positive impact on the school climate and student well-being.

Network Enhancing Facilitation Strategies

Creating an environment for collaborative learning to develop protective strengths and networks through:
  • Peer to Peer Learning
  • Personal Meaningfulness
  • Active and distributed Format
  • Authentic Connection

From Individual To Group Focus

  • Moving from a focus of individual skills to recognizing and developing group strengths.
  • Reflecting on how group strengths benefit individuals and the group.
  • Extending these benefits to the larger group.
  • Supports formation of key relationship and culture Intentional scaffolding.