Executive Summary

Executive Summary:  Peer Mentor training and Peer Mentoring 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. 

There were significant statistical differences in the following areas in how the Peer Leaders reported vs the control group: their connectedness to school and mentoring friendships with adults, their feelings toward school, their help seeking behaviors and the people and resources available to themselves and their friends.

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

Students who are exposed to mentoring as an 8^th grader or as a high school student have greater connectedness to school and mentoring friendships with adults, their feelings toward school, their help seeking behaviors and the people and resources available to themselves and their friends. Importantly, these students report higher acceptability of seeking help from their friendship groups as compared to the same age control groups.

No significant statistical difference was found between the Peer Leaders and the control group on self-reported ratings of their connectedness to their family, friends, activities and services offered in their community. However, all ratings for the Peer Leaders were higher than the control group’s ratings in these areas.

Evaluation of 9^th Grade Mentoring.

Importantly, 9^th 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. 

Naming trusted adults in all student groups:

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

Number of Trusted Adults named per student:

9^th Grade – no mentoring                      .9

9^th Grade – mentored                             2.1

10^th-12^th Grade – no mentoring          .9

10^th-12^th Grade – mentored                 2.4

11^th & 12^th Peer leaders                         3.4

Adults need peers involved in prevention because peers often notice friends in distress much earlier than adults. % of Yes responses.                  

9^th Grade – no mentoring                      71%

9^th Grade – mentored                             79%

10^th-12^th Grade – no mentoring          78%

10^th-12^th Grade – mentored                 87%

11^th & 12^th Peer leaders                         98%

Do you know an adult you would go to if you had a concern about a friend? % of Yes responses.                       

9^th Grade – no mentoring                      57%

9^th Grade – mentored                             79%

10^th-12^th Grade – no mentoring          78%

10^th-12^th Grade – mentored                 87%

11^th & 12^th Peer leaders                         98%

Knowing, talking to adults about problems, referral behaviors:

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

There is significant statistical difference in help seeking attitudes between the Peer Leaders and control group. The peer leaders also were able to name a significantly higher number of trusted adults they trust and would seek support from concerning a friend. 

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.   

There were significant statistical differences in the following areas in how the Peer Leaders reported vs the control group:

1. Their connectedness to school and mentoring friendships with adults,
2. Their feelings toward school,
3. Their help seeking behaviors and the people and resources available to themselves and their friends.
4. The peer leaders also were able to name a significantly higher number of trusted adults they trust and would seek support from concerning a friend.

These results indicate the control group reports a level of connectedness and help seeking behaviors that are not supported by their responses regarding the action steps they would take to seek support for themselves or their friends. Simply, the control group can describe what needs to happen but do not have the knowledge or skills to seek help. 

The Peer Leaders’ responses are congruent with their knowledge and understanding of help seeking behaviors and attitudes toward seeking help for themselves or their friends. 

Surveys completed in 2011, 2017, 2025

3050 Students Surveyed

Schools included in Summary:

Kimball High School, Kimball, SD

Lower Brule High School, Lower Brule, SD

Lyman County Schools, Presho, SD

Oelrichs High School, Oelrichs, SD

Pine Ridge, High School, Pine Ridge, SD

Rapid City Central High School, Rapid City, SD

Red Cloud High School, Pine Ridge, SD

Red Lake High School, Red Lake, MN

Standing Rock Community High School, Fort Yates, ND

T.F. Riggs High School, Pierre, SD

Tripp High School, Tripp, SD

White Lake High School, White Lake, SD