The Role of a Mentorship Program on the Relationship between Neglect and Depression among Adolescents in Low-Income Families

Jaewon Lee, Jennifer Allen, Hyejung Lim, Gyuhyun Choi and Jiyu Jung
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Jaewon Lee: Department of Social Welfare, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Korea
Jennifer Allen: School of Social Work, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Hyejung Lim: School of Education, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Gyuhyun Choi: Integrative Arts Therapy, Dongduk Women’s University, Seoul 02748, Korea
Jiyu Jung: Korea Development Bank Foundation, Seoul 07242, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-10

Abstract: This study examines the moderating effect of a mentorship program on the relationship between parental neglect and depression among adolescents from low-income households since COVID-19. A total of 264 participants from all provinces in South Korea were registered for a mentorship program provided by the Korea Development Bank [KDB] Foundation, which is a charitable and non-profit organization. Two-hundred fifty-five middle and high school students from low-income families were included in the final sample. The mentorship program was provided to students based on mentors’ advice and feedback. A bootstrap method using the PROCESS macro 3.4 for SPSS was utilized to examine the moderating effect of satisfaction with the mentorship program. Neglect was positively related to depression among low-income students. Satisfaction with the mentorship program moderated the relationship between low-income students’ neglect and depression. Visits from social workers or other advocates or volunteers to low-income families with children may be helpful to address depression among low-income students. High quality mentorship programs should be provided to more low-income students for their mental health, funded particularly in the context of corporate social responsibility. Particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, financial contributions by corporations would be valuable to reconstruct the damage to quality of life and psychological well-being among low-income adolescents.

Keywords: mentorship program; low-income students; neglect; depression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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