Exploring the benefits and risks of mentor self-disclosure: relationship quality and ethics in youth mentoring

Evidence shows that self-disclosure plays an important role in developing and maintaining close interpersonal relationships. As remains largely unexamined the context of interventions based on youth-adult helping relationships, little is known about effects mentor disclosure, or ethics using this communication technique. In study, we used self-report questionnaire data from 51 mentoring pairs to investigate effect relationship quality youth consider ethical challenges arise when adults disclose young people. Bivariate correlations showed was significantly associated with for mentees, but not mentors. Qualitative content analysis mentors were aware how their disclosure may have implications age role-appropriateness topics, contradictions between own mentees’ family cultural values, potential negatively influence mentee behaviour. We these findings a raise questions intersection quality, safe practice.