OJJOP ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

Prediction and Prevention of Premature Closures of Mentoring Relationships: 

The Study To Analyze Relationships (STAR Project) 

January 2018 • NCJ 251484 ojjdp.gov 

The relationships among mentors, youth, parents, and program staff may influence the mentoring 

relationship and mismatched expectations among these parties may lead to early match closure. 

Research Overview 

A substantial proportion of relationships created in formal 

community-based youth mentoring programs end before 

fulfilling their time commitment. Relationships that end 

prematurely are less likely to achieve positive youth 

outcomes and also are potentially harmful. This study was 

a comprehensive investigation of how participant 

characteristics, dyadic processes, and program practices 

contribute to premature match closures. The study also 

examined the way in which mentoring programs manage 

the match closure process. The goal was to provide 

insights for the development and implementation of 

empirically based program practices to prevent or mitigate 

the consequences of early match terminations. 

Research Findings 

About 30 percent of the new matches in the study ended 

before reaching the 12-month commitment specified in the 

program model; 67 percent closed during the extended 

study period. The majority of closures (64 percent) were 

attributed to the mentor, most commonly because they 

moved their residence or they experienced time 

constraints. Mentors’ and parents’ prematch expectations 

regarding the desired length of the match predicted the 

actual likelihood of the match continuing over time. Indepth interviews with participants in a subsample of closed 

matches highlighted the importance of the mentor-youth 

connection and positive relationships among the relevant 

adults (e.g., mentor-parent, mentor-staff) who support the 

match. In addition, post-closure data indicated that very 

few matches closed with a formal procedure, such as an 

in-person meeting, to end program participation. 

Research Design 

This study incorporated both a prospective design to 

identify factors that predict relationship duration and a 

retrospective design to learn what transpired in 

relationships that ended early. Baseline surveys of 

mentors, youth, parents, and staff yielded data for survival 

analyses predicting relationship length, while post-closure 

surveys of these participants provided multiple 

perspectives on the relationship experience and reasons 

for closure. Researchers analyzed in-depth interviews and 

program case files for a subsample of matches using 

qualitative methods to understand trends in relationship 

development and to identify patterns and issues 

associated with match closure. 

Policy/Practice Implications 

Any strained relationships between parents, mentee, 

mentors, and program staff due to miscommunication, 

cultural misunderstanding, or misaligned expectations can 

threaten a match and lead to early closure. Methods used 

in this study to analyze this network of relationships 

inspired the development of resources to guide 

practitioners in conducting similar assessments to identify 

participant needs and concerns and offer responsive 

match support. 

Resources 

• National Mentoring Resource Center 

resources inspired by STAR study: 

http://www.nationalmentoringresourcecenter.org/i 

ndex.php/learning-opportunities/tools-tostrengthen-match-support-and-closure.html# 

Source: Keller, T.E., and Spencer, R. 2017. “Prediction and Prevention of Premature Closures of Mentoring Relationships: 

The Study to Analyze Relationships” Final report for Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, grant number 

2012-MU-FX-0001. NCJ 251463, available at https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/251463.pdf 

This brief summarizes research conducted under grant number 2012-MU-FX-0001 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice 

and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of 

the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice.